Chiral symmetry in nuclei and nuclear matter

We discuss a model for hadrons based on chiral symmetry, Hadronic masses are generated via spontaneous symmetry breaking. Within this model we investigate nuclear matter and finite nuclei. Since the model is SU_F(3)-symmetric we are also able to investigate hypernuclei. Numerical results in comparison with experimental data are presented.     

A^80核区在束γ谱学研究进展

为深入研究原子核手征对称性自发破缺等重要的科学问题,山东大学(威海)核物理研究团队利用在束γ谱学实验技术,系统研究了A^80核区一系列原子核的能级结构,丰富了这个区域原子核的谱学信息,并对这些原子核的对称性、形状和运动模式等问题进行了探讨。研究结果表明,在A^80核区存在包括奇奇核和奇A核在内的多例候选手性原子核,能级寿命测量支持80Br的手性解释。此外,本文也讨论了随着中子数的增加,手征几何和八极关联效应的演化情况以及这个核区近球形核的中子跨壳激发现象。     

原子核层次的手征对称性

对称性及其破缺是基本的科学问题。手征对称性在自然界中广泛存在,大至星系旋臂、行星自转,小到矿物晶体、有机分子、基本粒子,都与手征对称性密切相关。原子核层次的手征对称性概念于1997年提出,随后成为核物理研究的热点问题。目前,实验上已经在核素图上的80,100,130和190质量核区发现了30多例可能具有手征对称性的原子核。简要介绍原子核中的手征对称性概念;手性原子核的预言、识别以及实验验证;并通过展示手性原子核结构的多样性（M_χD）,回顾了理论和实验研究进展;介绍最新发现的原子核中手性和空间反射对称性的联立自发破缺,对未来手性原子核研究的前景进行了展望。Symmetry and its breaking are basic scientific problems. Chiral symmetries are common in nature, for example, the macroscopic spiral arms of galaxies and the rotation of planets; the microscopic spirals of the mineral crystalline, the organic molecules and the elementary particles. The concept of chirality in atomic nuclei was first proposed in 1997. Since then many efforts have been made to understand chiral symmetry and its spontaneous breaking in atomic nuclei. Up to now, more than 30 candidates of chiral nuclei have been reported in the 80, 100, 130, and 190 mass regions. The concept of the chirality in atomic nuclei, the prediction, the signal, and the experimental verification of the chiral nuclei are briefly introduced; the recent theoretical and experimental progress are reviewed, in particular the existence of multiple chiral doublets (M_χD), i.e., more than one pair of chiral doublet bands in one single nucleus; the simultaneous spontaneous breaking of chiral and reflection symmetry in the newly observed atomic nuclei is introduced, together with a prospect on the future study on nuclear chiral symmetry.     

Excitation effects on the nuclear-fission process in the heaviest elements

Calculations have been carried out of the fission barriers of excited nuclei for elements with Z = 102?108. The effect of nuclear heating is taken into account according to conventional quantum-statistical formulae. A realistic Woods-Saxon potential is employed to calculate single particle states. The- degree of deviation of the fissioning nucleus shape from axial symmetry and changes in the depth of the intermediate minimum are discussed.     

Effects of symmetry breaking in finite quantum systems

The review considers the peculiarities of symmetry breaking and symmetry transformations and the related physical effects in finite quantum systems. Some types of symmetry in finite systems can be broken only asymptotically. However, with a sufficiently large number of particles, crossover transitions become sharp, so that symmetry breaking happens similarly to that in macroscopic systems. This concerns, in particular, global gauge symmetry breaking, related to Bose–Einstein condensation and superconductivity, or isotropy breaking, related to the generation of quantum vortices, and the stratification in multicomponent mixtures. A special type of symmetry transformation, characteristic only for finite systems, is the change of shape symmetry. These phenomena are illustrated by the examples of several typical mesoscopic systems, such as trapped atoms, quantum dots, atomic nuclei, and metallic grains. The specific features of the review are: (i) the emphasis on the peculiarities of the symmetry breaking in finite mesoscopic systems; (ii) the analysis of common properties of physically different finite quantum systems; (iii) the manifestations of symmetry breaking in the spectra of collective excitations in finite quantum systems. The analysis of these features allows for the better understanding of the intimate relation between the type of symmetry and other physical properties of quantum systems. This also makes it possible to predict new effects by employing the analogies between finite quantum systems of different physical nature.     

相对论谐振子下的自旋和赝自旋轨道伙伴态劈裂

通过求解具有谐振子势的径向标量势与矢量势的Dirac方程, 分别分析了原子核中赝自旋和自旋双重态的能级劈裂和波函数劈裂随着谐振子的振动频率参数ω和描述谐振子势阱底偏离中心参数r₀的变化关系. 研究发现, 这些参数对于赝自旋和自旋双重态的能级劈裂和波函数劈裂都有着显著的影响. 此外, 也研究了能级劈裂和波函数劈裂随着量子数的变化关系. 由于参数ω与核子数有关, 而参数r₀与形变核有关, 所以以这些参数为变量对于赝自旋劈裂和自旋劈裂的研究是有意义的, 研究的结果至少可以定性地应用到大部分原子核中.     

Polygons on a rotating fluid surface

We report a novel and spectacular instability of a fluid surface in a rotating system. In a flow driven by rotating the bottom plate of a partially filled, stationary cylindrical container, the shape of the free surface can spontaneously break the axial symmetry and assume the form of a polygon rotating rigidly with a speed different from that of the plate. With water, we have observed polygons with up to 6 corners. It has been known for many years that such flows are prone to symmetry breaking, but apparently the polygonal surface shapes have never been observed. The creation of rotating internal waves in a similar setup was observed for much lower rotation rates, where the free surface remains essentially flat [J. M. Lopez, J. Fluid Mech. 502, 99 (2004). We speculate that the instability is caused by the strong azimuthal shear due to the stationary walls and that it is triggered by minute wobbling of the rotating plate.     

On the shell model and its application to the deformation energy of heavy nuclei

The technical realisation of the shell model with arbitrary fields is presented in detail, with special emphasis of the unusual and large deformations of the nuclear shape as they may occur in the fission process. We discuss how realistic parametrisations of the nuclear shape and the potential well can be developed and how the parameters of the average fields can be determined. We restrict ourselves to wells with a Woods-Saxon distribution in the radial coordinate. By means of Strutinsky's shell correction approach, the single particle energies deserve to calculate the potential part of a collective Hamiltonian. Its behaviour with varying deformation is discussed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Considered are the deformation types of elongation (1), necking (2), reflection (3) and axial (4) asymmetry of the nuclear shape. Evidence is given for geometrical symmetries which can be correlated to normal modes in finite nuclei. The transition from spherical to deformed nuclei is presented in detail for the radium isotopes, revealing the importance of hexadecapole deformations. Finally, we give an extensive and systematic presentation of the energies and of the deformations at the various stationary points of the deformation energy for the nuclei in the actinide region and for the hypothetical superheavy nuclei.     

Deformation dependence of symmetry energy coefficients of nuclei

Based on the semi-classical Thomas-Fermi approximation together with the Skyrme energy-density functional, we study the deformation dependence of symmetry energy coefficients of finite nuclei. The symmetry energy coefficients of nuclei with mass number A = 40, 100, 150, 208 are extracted from two-parameter parabola fitting to the calculated energy per particle. We find that the symmetry energy coefficients decrease with the increase of nuclear quadrupole deformations, which is mainly due to the isospin dependence of the difference between the proton and neutron surface diffuseness. Large deformations of nuclei can cause the change of the symmetry energy coefficient by about 0.5 Me V and the influence of nuclear deformations on the symmetry energy coefficients is more evident for light and intermediate nuclei.     

Transition to deformed shapes as a nuclear Jahn-Teller effect

The Jahn-Teller effect is well known in molecular physics as an interplay between degenerate electronic states and a molecular vibration, giving rise to a spontaneous breaking of a molecular symmetry. We translate the concept of the Jahn-Teller effect to nuclear physics and discuss nuclear collective motion and deformation from that point of view. It becomes transparent that the well-known surface quadrupole motion, with its tendency to stable deformations, can be understood as a nuclear Jahn-Teller mode emerging from the interaction between degenerate nucleon states and giant resonance vibrations. The axial symmetry may break down further to non-axial or to reflection asymmetry shapes by the same mechanism.     

Calculation of Quark Condensate in Nuclear Matter with the Chiral Symmetry Spontaneous Breaking Lagrangian

Using the chiral symmetry spontaneous breaking Lagrangian with mean-field approximation, we investigate the in-medium quark condensate 〈qq〉. It is found that the condensate decreases as the nuclear matter density ρ increases. Meanwhile, the desent deviates from the linear decrease and becomes remarkably slow as the density of the nuclear matter further increases. It shows that the chiral symmetry spontaneous breaking is only partially restored in densed nuclear matter.     

EFV Method with the Constraints of Time Reversal Invariance and Axial Symmetry

Based on the general EFV method,with the constraints of time reversal invariance and axial symmetry,simplified formulas are deduced from the HFB transformation.These results make EFV a practical method in microscopic nuclear structure physics for describing arbitrary spin and parity states in both even-even and odd-odd nuclei,including states with various correlations.     

Quantum and statistical fluctuations in dynamical symmetry breaking

Dynamical symmetry breaking in an expanding nuclear system is investigated in a semi-classical and quantum framework by employing a collective transport model which is constructed to mimic the collective behavior of expanding systems. It is shown that the fluctuations in collective coordinates during the expansion are developed mainly by the enhancement of the initial fluctuations by the driving force, and that statistical and quantum fluctuations have similar consequences. It is pointed out that the quantal fluctuations may play an important role in the development of instabilities by reducing the time needed to break the symmetry, and the possible role of quantal fluctuations in spinodal decomposition of nuclei is discussed.     

Rotational symmetry breaking in small-area circular vertical cavity surface emitting lasers

We investigate theoretically the dynamics of three low-order transverse modes in a small-area vertical cavity surface emitting laser. We demonstrate the spontaneous breaking of axial symmetry of the transverse field distribution in such a device. In particular, we show that if the linewidth enhancement factor is sufficiently large dynamical regimes with broken axial symmetry can exist up to very high diffusion coefficients ~ 10 μm²/ns.     

Effects of symmetry energy on two-nucleon correlation functions in heavy-ion collisions induced by neutron-rich nuclei

Using an isospin-dependent transport model, we study the effects of nuclear symmetry energy on two-nucleon correlation functions in heavy-ion collisions induced by neutron-rich nuclei. We find that the density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy affects significantly the nucleon emission times in these collisions, leading to larger values of two-nucleon correlation functions for a symmetry energy that has a stronger density dependence. Two-nucleon correlation functions are thus useful tools for extracting information about the nuclear symmetry energy from heavy-ion collisions.     

QCD aspects of hadron physics

Several topics in hadron physics at different scales of resolution are discussed. First, deep-inelastic scattering from nucleons and nuclei is viewed in a light-come coordinate space picture. Then the smooth transition from parton to hadron degrees of freedom is demonstrated by analysing generalized Q²-dependent polarizabilities of the nucleon. Turning to low energy QCD we summarize recent developments related to the role of strange quarks in Chiral SU(3) Dynamics, a non-perturbative coupled channel approach to hadronic processes. Finally we elaborate on a unification of QCD Sum Rules with aspects of spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in the analysis of quark-antiquark excitations of the condensed QCD vacuum and in nuclear matter.     

Effect of the renormalization group on the symmetry breaking patterns of SU(n) Higgs potentials

As a first step toward the study of the effects of radiative corrections on spontaneously broken potentials we consider the renormalization group equations for those parameters which determine the shape of the potential and the symmetry breaking patterns. As examples we consider the Higgs potential for a single scalar field and for the adjoint represention of SU(n). In the latter case we also obtain some results at the classical level - a new proof of the Michel conjecture, the Higgs mass spectrum and an explicit expression for the parameter that determines the symmetry breaking pattern.     

Fast fragmentation in core-excited molecules

Symmetry breaking is an important phenomenon connected to the excitation of core electrons in molecules. The fundamental question of whether inner-shell electronic-state orbitals are delocalized, and what the underlying mechanism for breaking the symmetry of a molecule upon dissociation are the subject of much debate, especially for the case of diatomic molecules. One method for studying molecular fragmentation, which is based upon a symmetry picture, is multicoincidence ion spectroscopy. Here we give a brief presentation of some of the applications of this technique, where symmetry, nuclear motion and the temporal signature are of importance.     

原子核的形状相变

简要回顾原子核形状相变研究的现状，并将相干态理论与角动量投影方法相结合，在不区分质子玻色子和中子玻色子的相互作用玻色子模型（IBM-1）框架下，对角动量驱动的轴对称情况下的具有U（5）、SU（3）对称性以及两种对称性之间过渡区的原子核的形状相变进行了具体研究。We review the status of the research of nuclear shape phase transitions in this paper. Meanwhile, by taking the coherent state theory and angular momentum projection method, we study the shape phase transitions of axially symmetric even-even nuclei with U（5） symmetry, SU（3） symmetry and those in the transitional region of the two symmetries in the framework of Interacting Boson Model-1 （IBM-1）, which does not distinguish the proton bosons from neutron bosons.     

Probing the nuclear symmetry energy with heavy-ion reactions induced by neutron-rich nuclei

Heavy-ion reactions induced by neutron-rich nuclei provide a unique means to investigate the equation of state of isospin-asymmetric nuclear matter, especially the density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy. In particular, recent analyses of the isospin diffusion data in heavy-ion reactions have already put a stringent constraint on the nuclear symmetry energy around the nuclear matter saturation density. We review this exciting result and discuss its implications on nuclear effective interactions and the neutron skin thickness of heavy nuclei. In addition, we also review the theoretical progress on probing the high density behaviors of the nuclear symmetry energy in heavy-ion reactions induced by high energy radioactive beams.