Influence of the spin-orbit couplingon nuclear superfluidity along the N = Z line

We show that the spin-orbit potential of the nuclear mean field destroys isoscalar superfluid correlations in self-conjugate nuclei. Using group theory and boson mapping techniques on a Hamiltonian including single particle splittings and a SO _ST(8) pairing interaction, we give analytical expressions for the spin-orbit dependence of some N = Z properties such as the relative position of T = 0 and T = 1 states in odd-odd systems or double binding-energy differences of even-even nuclei. Received: 12 April 2000 / Accepted: 25 May 2000