Calculations of the β-decay half-lives of neutron-deficient nuclei

In this work,β~+/EC decays of some medium-mass nuclei are investigated within the extended quasiparticle random-phase approximation(QRPA),where neutron-neutron,proton-proton and neutron-proton(np) pairing correlations are taken into consideration in the specialized Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov(HFB) transformation.In addition to the pairing interaction,the Br¨uckner G-matrix obtained with the charge-dependent Bonn nucleon-nucleon force is used for the residual particle-particle and particle-hole interactions.Calculations are performed for even-even proton-rich isotopes ranging from Z =24 to Z =34.It is found that the np pairing interaction plays a significant role inβ-decay for some nuclei far from stability.Compared with other theoretical calculations,our calculations show good agreement with the available experimental data.Predictions of β-decay half-lives for some very neutron-deficient nuclei are made for reference.     

Isovector giant dipole resonances in proton-rich Ar and Ca isotopes

The isovector giant dipole resonances(IVGDR)in proton-rich Ar and Ca isotopes have been systematic-ally investigated using the resonant continuum Hartree-F ock+BCS(HF+BCS)and quasiparticle random phase ap-proximation(QRPA)methods.The Skyrme SLy5 and density-dependent contact pairing interactions are employed in the calculations.In addition to the giant dipole resonances at energy around 18 MeV,pygmy dipole resonances(PDR)are found to be located in the energy region below 12 MeV.The calculated energy-weighted moments of PDR in nuclei close to the proton drip-line exhaust about 4%of the TRK sum rule.The strengths decrease with in-creasing mass number in each isotopic chain.The transition densities of the PDR states show that motions of pro-tons and neutrons are in phase in the interiors of nuclei,while the protons give the main contribution at the surface.By analyzing the QRPA amplitudes of proton and neutron 2-quasiparticle configurations for a given low-lying state,we find that only a few proton configurations give significant contributions.They contribute about 95%to the total QRPA amplitudes,which indicates that the collectivity of PDR states is not strong in proton-rich nuclei in the present study.     

Soft Giant Dipole Modes in Ca Isotopes in the Relativistic RPA

The isovector giant dipole resonance in Ca isotopes is investigated in the framework of the fully consistent relativistic random phase approximation.The calculations are performed in an effective Lagrangian with a parameter set NL3,which was proposed for satisfactorily describing nuclear ground state properties.It is found that a soft isovector dipole mode for Ca isotopes near drip lines exists at energy around 6-7MeV.The soft dipole states are mainly due to the excitation of the weakly bound and pure neutron (proton)states near Fermi surface as well as the correlation of isoscalar and isovector operators.For nuclei with the extreme value of N/Z,the contributions of isoscalar mesons in the isovector mode play a non-negligible role.     

Collective multipole excitations of exotic nuclei in relativistic continuum random phase approximation

The isoscalar and isovector collective multipole excitations in exotic nuclei are studied in the framework of a fully self-consistent relativistic continuum random phase approximation （RCRPA）. In this method the contri- bution of the continuum spectrum to nuclear excitations is treated exactly by the single particle Green＇s function. Different from the cases in stable nuclei, there are strong low-energy excitations in neutron-rich nuclei and proton-rich nuclei. The neutron or proton excess pushes the centroid of the strength function to lower energies and increases the fragmentation of the strength distribution. The effect of treating the contribution of continuum exactly is also discussed.     

Effect of Wigner energy on the symmetry energy coefficient in nuclei

The nuclear symmetry energy coefficient(including the coefficient a_(sym)~((4)) of the I~4 term) of finite nuclei is extracted by using the differences of available experimental binding energies of isobaric nuclei.It is found that the extracted symmetry energy coefficient a_(sym)~*(A,I) decreases with increasing isospin asymmetry I,which is mainly caused by Wigner correction,since e_(sym)~* is the summation of the traditional symmetry energy e_(sym) and the Wigner energy ew.We obtain the optimal values J = 30.25±0.10 MeV,a_(ss)=56.18±1.25 MeV,a_(sym)~((4)) = 8.33±1.21 MeV and the Wigner parameter x= 2.38 ±0.12 through a polynomial fit to 2240 measured binding energies for nuclei with20 ≤ A ≤ 261 with an rms deviation of 23.42 keV.We also find that the volume symmetry coefficient J■ 30 MeV is insensitive to the value x,whereas the surface symmetry coefficient a_(ss) and the coefficient a_(sym)~((4)) are very sensitive to the value of x in the range 1≤x≤4.The contribution of the a_(sym)~((4)) term increases rapidly with increasing isospin asymmetry I.For very neutron-rich nuclei,the contribution of the a_(sym)~((4)) term will play an important role.     

Isospin and symmetry structure in 34S

The interacting boson model-3(IBM-3) has been used to study the energy levels and electromagnetic transitions for the nucleus 34 S.The main components of the wave function,isoscalar and isovector parts in the M1 and E2 transitions for low-lying states have been investigated.According to this study,the theoretical calculations are in agreement with experimental data,and the nucleus 34 S is in transition from U(5) to S U(3).     

Description of the Superdeformed Bands of the Odd-Odd Nuclei in A ～ 150 Region

With the supersymmetry scheme including many-body interactions, the global property and the △I ＝ 4bifurcation in the superdeformed (SD) bands of odd-odd nuclei in A ～ 150 mass region are investigated systematically.Good results for the γ-ray energies, the dynamical moments of inertia, and energy differences △ Eγ - △ Erefγ are obtained.It shows that this approach is quite powerful in describing not only the SD bands in even-even and odd-A nuclei butalso those in odd-odd nuclei in the mass region.     

Alpha Decay,Shell Structure,and New Elements

We systematically analyze the experimental data of alpha decay in even-even heavy nuclei far from stability and find that the Geiger-Nuttall law brea~s for an isotopic chain when its neutron number is across a marc number or there is a deformed subshell. This break can be used to identify new magic numbers of superheavy nuclei. It is also discovered that there is a new linear relation between the logarithm of half-life and the reciprocal of the square root of decay energy for N = 126 and N = 152 isotones. It could be a new law of alpha decay for nuclei with magic neutron numbers but the physics behind it is to be explored. The significance of these researches for the search of new elements is discussed.     

Symmetry Energy and Isovector Giant Dipole Resonance in Finite Nuclei

We study the relationship between the properties of the isovector giant dipole resonance of finite nuclei and the symmetry energy in the framework of the relativistic mean field theory with six different parameter sets of nonlinear effective Lagrangian. A strong linear correlation of excited energies of the dipole resonance in finite nuclei and symmetry energy at and below the saturation density is found. This linear correlation leads to the symmetry energy at the saturation density at the interval 33.0 MeV ≤ S（po） 〈37.0 MeV. The comparison to the present experimental data in the soft dipole mode of 132Sn constrains approximately the symmetry energy at p = 0,1 fm^-3 at the interval 21,2MeV- 22.5 MeV. It is proposed that a precise measurement of the soft dipole mode in neutron rich nuclei could set up an important constraint on the equation of state for asymmetric nuclear matter.     

Calculation of multidimensional potential energy surfaces for even-even transuranium nuclei: systematic investigation of the triaxiality effect on the fission barrier

Static fission barriers for 95 even-even transuranium nuclei with charge number Z = 94-118 have been systematically investigated by means of pairing self-consistent Woods-Saxon-Strutinsky calculations using the potential energy surface approach in multidimensional(β_2, γ, β_4) deformation space. Taking the heavier (252)~Cf nucleus(with the available fission barrier from experiment) as an example, the formation of the fission barrier and the influence of macroscopic, shell and pairing correction energies on it are analyzed. The results of the present calculated β_2 values and barrier heights are compared with previous calculations and available experiments. The role of triaxiality in the region of the first saddle is discussed. It is found that the second fission barrier is also considerably affected by the triaxial deformation degree of freedom in some nuclei(e.g., the Z =112-118 isotopes). Based on the potential energy curves, general trends of the evolution of the fission barrier heights and widths as a function of the nucleon numbers are investigated. In addition, the effects of Woods-Saxon potential parameter modifications(e.g.,the strength of the spin-orbit coupling and the nuclear surface diffuseness) on the fission barrier are briefly discussed.     

Isovector Giant Dipole Resonance of Stable Nuclei in a Consistent Relativistic Random-phase Approximation

A fully consistent relativistic random-phase approximation is applied to study the systematic behaviour of the isovector giant dipole resonance of nuclei along the β-stability line in order to test the effective Lagrangians recently developed. The centroid energies of response functions of the isovector giant dipole resonance for stable nuclei are compared with the corresponding experimental data and the good agreement is obtained. It is found that the effective Lagrangian with an appropriate nuclear symmetry energy, which can well describe the ground state properties of nuclei, could also reproduce the isovector giant dipole resonance of nuclei along the β-stability line.     

Systematic Study of Stability of Super Heavy Nuclei

A systematic overview on the characteristics of super heavy nuclei from Z=101 to Z=130 based on thedata by P. Moeller et al. is presented. The nuclei which have the biggest mean binding energy in each of their isotope chain show systematic regular behavior, indicating that the mean binding energy is a good criterion to classify super heavy nuclei by their stabilities. Further investigation on the nuclear data at and after Z=127 has been suggested.     

Dynamical Structure of Nuclear Excitation in Continuum

Dynamical structures of collective excitation in continuum are studied by calculating the isoscalar and isovector strength as well as transition density of nuclei near the drip-line such as ^28O and ^34Ca. It is found that for some excited states in continuum the proton and neutron transition density calculated from isoscalar and isovector excitation at some given energies may be different, which will affect the calculation of the polarization for nuclei with N≠Z.     

Mixed Symmetry States in Even—Even ^96—108Mo Nuclei

Excitation energies and electromagnetic transition strengths in even-even ^96-108Mo nuclei have been described systematically be using the proton-neutron interacting boson model (IBM-2).It appears that the properties of low-lying levels in these isotopes,for which the comparison between experiment and theory is possible,can be satisfactorily described by the IBM-2 model,provided proper account is taken of the presence at low energy of states having a mixed-symmetry character.It seems possible to identify,in each isotope,a few states having such a character,the lowest ones being either 22^ or 23^ levels.It is found that these nuclei are in the transition from U(5) to SU(3).     

Formation Mechanism and Binding Energy for Icosahedral Central Structure of He13^＋ Cluster

The formation mechanism for the icosahedral central structure of the He13^ cluster is proposed and its total energy curve is calculated by the method of a Modified Arrangement Channel Quantum Mechanics. The energy is the function of separation R between two nuclei at the center and an apex of the icosahedral central structure. The result of the calculation has shown that the curve has a minimal energy -37.5765 (a.u.) at R=2.70ao. The binding energy of He13^ with respect to He^ 12He was calculated to be 1.4046 a.u. This means that the cluster of He13^ may be formed in an icosahedral central structure with strong binding energy.     

Is J~(PC)=3~(-+) molecule possible?

The confirmation of charged charmonium-like states indicates that heavy quark molecules should exist.Here we discuss the possibility of a molecule state with J P C= 3-+. In a one-boson-exchange model investigation for the S wave C = + D* ˉD*2states, one finds that the strongest attraction is in the case J = 3 and I = 0 for bothπ and σ exchanges. Numerical analysis indicates that this hadronic bound state might exist if a phenomenological cutoff parameter around 2.3 Ge V(1.5 Ge V) is reasonable with a dipole(monopole) type form factor in the one-pionexchange model. The cutoff for binding solutions may be reduced to a smaller value once the σ exchange contribution is included. If a state around the D* ˉD*2threshold(≈4472 Me V) in the channel J/ψω(P wave) is observed, the heavy quark spin symmetry implies that it is not a cˉc meson and the J P C are likely to be 3-+.     

Is JPC=3-+ molecule possible?

The confirmation of charged charmonium-like states indicates that heavy quark molecules should exist.Here we discuss the possibility of a molecule state with J P C= 3-+. In a one-boson-exchange model investigation for the S wave C = + D* ˉD*2states, one finds that the strongest attraction is in the case J = 3 and I = 0 for bothπ and σ exchanges. Numerical analysis indicates that this hadronic bound state might exist if a phenomenological cutoff parameter around 2.3 Ge V(1.5 Ge V) is reasonable with a dipole(monopole) type form factor in the one-pionexchange model. The cutoff for binding solutions may be reduced to a smaller value once the σ exchange contribution is included. If a state around the D* ˉD*2threshold(≈4472 Me V) in the channel J/ψω(P wave) is observed, the heavy quark spin symmetry implies that it is not a cˉc meson and the J P C are likely to be 3-+.     

Stability of super heavy nuclei associated with the updated nuclear data

The stability of super heavy nuclei(SHN) from Z =104 to Z =126 is analyzed systematically,associated with the following theoretical mass tables: FRDM2012 [At.Data Nucl.Data Tables 109-110(2016)],WS2010 [Phys.Rev.C 82,044304(2010)],WS-LZ-RBF [J.Phys.G: Nucl.Part.Phys.42,095107(2015)] and the updated experimental data AME2016 [Chinese Physics C 41,040002(2017)].The nucleus with the biggest mean binding energy in each isotopic chain shows systematic regular behavior,indicating that the mean binding energy is a good criterion to classify SHN by their stability.Based on binding energy,the α-decay energy Q_α,two-proton separation energy S_(2p),and two-neutron separation energy S_(2n) are extracted and analyzed.It is found that N =152 and N =162 are sub-magic numbers,N = 184 is a neutron magic number,and Z = 114 is a proton magic number,which may provide useful information for the synthesis and identification of SHN.     

Decomposition of the equation of state of asymmetric nuclear matter into different spin-isospin channels

We investigate the equation of state of asymmetric nuclear matter and its isospin dependence in various spin-isospin ST channels within the framework of the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approach extended to include a microscopic three-body force（TBF） . It is shown that the potential energy per nucleon in the isospinsinglet T = 0 channel is mainly determined by the contribution from the tensor SD coupled channel. At high densities,the TBF effect on the isospin-triplet T = 1 channel contribution turns out to be much larger than that on the T =0 channel contribution. At low densities around and below the normal nuclear matter density,the isospin dependence is found to come essentially from the isospin-singlet SD channel and the isospin-triplet T = 1 component is almost independent of isospin asymmetry. As the density increases,the T = 1 channel contribution becomes sensitive to the isospin asymmetry and at high enough densities its isospin dependence may even become more pronounced than that of the T = 0 contribution. The present results may provide some microscopic constraints for improving effective nucleon-nucleon interactions in a nuclear medium and for constructing new functionals of effective nucleon-nucleon interaction based on microscopic many-body theories.     

Alpha Decay as a Probe of the Structure of Neutron-deficient Nuclei Around Z =82

In this contribution I would like to review briefly our recent studies on nuclear α formation probabilities in heavy nuclei and their indication on the underlying structure of the nuclei involved. In particular, I will show that the empirical α-formation probabilities, which can be extracted from experimental half-lives, exhibit a rather smooth function with changing proton or neutron numbers. This allows us to distinguish the role played by pairing collectivity in the clustering process. The sudden hindrance of the clustering of the nucleons around the N = 126 shell closure is due to the fact that the configuration space does not allow a proper manifestation of the pairing collectivity. The influence of the Z = 82 shell closure on the α formation properties will also be discussed. Moreover, we have evaluated the α-decay fine structure to excited 0+ states in Hg and Rn isotopes as well as the α-decay from the excited 0+ states in the mother nucleus. It is thus found that the α decay is sensitive to the mixture of configurations corresponding to different nuclear shapes.