Structure of the neutron periphery of isotopes 9,11Li

The spatial periphery structure of lithium isotopes with A = 9 and 11 is investigated using the (t, p) reaction for ^7,9Li nuclei. It is shown that the neutron halo is almost absent in the ⁹Li nucleus, while the ¹¹Li nucleus has the Borromean halo structure formed by two neutrons relative to the ⁹Li core, which manifests itself in both the cigar and the dineutron configurations.     

Spatial periphery of lithium isotopes

The spatial structure of lithium isotopes is studied with the aid of the charge-exchange and (t, p) reactions on lithium nuclei. It is shown that an excited isobaric-analog state of ⁶Li (0⁺, 3.56MeV) has a halo structure formed by a proton and a neutron, that, in the ⁹Li nucleus, there is virtually no neutron halo, and that ¹¹Li is a Borromean nucleus formed by a ⁹Li core and a two-neutron halo manifesting itself in cigar-like and dineutron configurations.     

Nuclear field theory predictions for 11Li and 12Be: Shedding light on the origin of pairing in nuclei

Recent data resulting from studies of two-nucleon transfer reaction on ¹¹Li, analyzed through a unified nuclear-structure-direct-reaction theory have provided strong direct as well as indirect confirmation, through the population of the first excited state of ⁹Li and of the observation of a strongly quenched ground state transition, of the prediction that phonon-mediated pairing interaction is the main mechanism binding the neutron halo of the 8.5-ms-lived ¹¹Li nucleus. In other words, the ground state of ¹¹Li can be viewed as a neutron Cooper pair bound to the ⁹Li core, mainly through the exchange of collective vibration of the core and of the pigmy resonance arizing from the sloshing back and forth of the neutron halo against the protons of the core, the mean field leading to unbound two-particle states, a situation essentially not altered by the bare nucleon-nucleon interaction acting between the halo neutrons. Two-neutron pick-up data, together with (t, p) data on ⁷Li, suggest the existence of a pairing vibrational band based on ⁹Li, whose members can be excited with the help of inverse kinematic experiments as was done in the case of ¹¹Li(p, t)⁹Li reaction. The deviation from harmonicity can provide insight into the workings of medium polarization effects on Cooper-pair nuclear pairing, let alone specific information concering the “rigidity” of the N = 6 shell closure. Further information concerning these questions is provided by the predicted absolute differential cross sections σ _abs associated with the reactions ¹²Be(p, t)¹⁰Be(g.s.) and ¹²Be(p, t)¹⁰Be(pv) (≈¹⁰Be(p, t)⁸Be(g.s.)). In particular, concerning this last reaction, predictions of σ _abs can change by an order of magnitude depending on whether the halo properties associated with the d _5/2 orbital are treated selfconsistently in calculating the ground state correlations of the (pair removal) mode, or not.     

Spatial periphery of lithium and beryllium isotopes

The spatial structure of the periphery of lithium and beryllium isotopes is studied by means of charge-exchange reactions and the (t, p) and (d, p) reactions on their nuclei. It is shown that the 0⁺ isobaric-analog state of ⁶Li at 3.56 MeV has a halo structure formed by a proton and a neutron, that there is virtually no manifestation of a neutron halo in the ground state of the ⁹Li nucleus, and that the ¹¹Li nucleus has a Borromean halo structure that two neutrons form with respect to the ⁹Li core and which manifests itself in cigar and dineutron configurations. The ¹⁰Be nucleus has a substantial two-neutron periphery in either configuration both in the ground and in the 2⁺ excited state at 3.37MeV.     

Nuclear structure near the drip line studied by RNB

The use of radioactive nuclear beams (RNB) has provided an opportunity to study nuclei far from the stability line. Reaction studies using intermediate and high-energy (30–1000 AMeV) radioactive beams have revealed new structures of nuclei that are not seen in nuclei near to the stability line [1]. One such new structure is the neutron halo, a long low-density tail of the neutron distribution [2]. It has been observed in neutron drip-line nuclei, such as⁶He,¹¹Li and¹¹Be. The neutron halo has put light on many new structure problems. Among those, recent studies of a softE1 mode, a low-frequency oscillation of halo neutrons against the core, are discussed in the following section in connection with a recent (p, p′) reaction measurement [3]. Also, the effect of changes in single-particle orbitals on halo formation is discussed [4]. Another new finding is the formation of neutron skins in neutron-rich unstable nuclei [5]. The relation between the equation-of-state (EOS) of asymmetric nuclear matter and the neutron-skin thickness as well as the density distribution of nuclei far from the stability line is discussed in the last section.     

Effect of neutron transfer channels in fusion reactions with weakly bound nuclei at subbarrier energies

The role of neutron transfer in fusion reactions of weakly-bound nuclei at subbarrier energies is studied within the empirical model of channel coupling. The results from calculating the fusion cross sections for the ⁷Li + ²⁰⁹Bi, ^{9, 11}Li + ^{208, 206}Pb, ^{6, 7, 9, 11}Li + ¹⁵²Sm reactions are presented. Good agreement with the available experimental data is shown. Several combinations of colliding nuclei for which the strong enhancement of subbarrier fusion due to the effect of neutron transfer processes are predicted.     

Radii of the bound states in 16N from the asymptotic normalization coefficients

The asymptotic normalization coefficients (ANCs) of the virtual decay ¹⁶N→¹⁵N+n are extracted from the ¹⁵N(⁷Li, ⁶Li)¹⁶N reaction populating the ground and first three excited states in ¹⁶N. The root-mean-square (rms) radii of the valence neutron in these four low-lying ¹⁶N states are then derived by using the ANCs. The probabilities of the valence neutron staying out of the core potentials are found to be 31%±8%, 58%±12%, 32%±8%, and 60%±12%. The present results support the conclusion that a one-neutron halo may be formed in the ¹⁶N first and third excited states, while the ground and second excited states do not have a one-neutron halo structure. However, the core excitation effect has a strong influence on the one-neutron halo structure of the ground and first excited states in ¹⁶N.     

Structure of nuclei far from stability

The structure of neutron-rich unstable nuclei is discussed by focusing on three different subjects; (i) a superdeformed halo nucleus ¹¹Be studied by a deformed Woods-Saxon potential, (ii) retarded β decay due to neutron halo in ¹¹Li, and (iii) giant neutron excitations in nuclei with neutron skin.     

Clustering aspects of light exotic nuclei

The discovery of light nuclei with neutron halos has opened new perspectives for nuclear structure and a possibility to study genuine few-body aspects of matter. A number of borromean systems where the system is bound but where no binary subsystems are bound, are realized by nature in the context of nuclei,¹¹Li being the nucleus which has had most recent attention. Although a large number of calculations have addressed the detailed structure of the¹¹Li neutron halo, no single model has yet explained all the data presently available. This is in part due to uncertainties in then+⁹Li interaction. For⁶He, also a borromean system, where then+core interaction is known, the best three-body and reaction models succeed in reproducing the data. In the¹¹Li case, a major uncertainty concerns the effect of possible 1s intruder states.     

Cluster models of light nuclei and the method of hyperspherical harmonics: Successes and challenges

Hyperspherical-harmonics method to investigate the lightest nuclei having three-cluster structure is discussed together with recent experiments. Properties of bound states and methods to explore three-body continuum are presented. The challenges created by large neutron excess and halo phenomena are highlighted. Astrophysical aspects of the ⁷Li + n → ⁸Li + γ reaction and the solar-boron-neutrinos problem are analyzed. Three-cluster structure of highly excited states in ⁸Be is shown to be responsible for extreme isospin mixing. Progress in studies of ⁶He- and ¹¹Li-induced inclusive and exclusive nuclear reactions is demonstrated, providing information on the nature of continuum structures of Borromean nuclei. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

恒星能量下核子俘获反应率的晕核效应

恒星能量下俘获截面很难直接测量。¹⁰Be（n，γ）¹¹Be俘获反应涉及到非均匀宇宙大爆炸核合成，无直接测量实验截面数据。利用转移反应¹⁰Be（d，p）¹¹Be的渐近归一化系数（ANC）方法，计算了¹⁰Be（n，γ）¹¹Be俘获反应截面和反应率。¹¹Be是中子晕核。研究表明，在恒星能量下俘获到晕态的截面和反应率显著增大。     

The role of various mechanisms in the formation of the 12B nucleus in the 10B(t, p)12B reaction

The angular distribution of protons from the ¹⁰B(t, p)¹²B reaction is analyzed within the framework of three mechanisms: dineutron cluster stripping, heavy ⁹Be cluster stripping, and successive time-delay neutron transfer. The dineutron cluster stripping and successive neutron transfer mechanisms are shown to be of considerable importance. Wave functions of the relative motion of the ¹⁰B and dineutron, as well as of the ¹⁰B and both neutrons, in the ¹²B ground state are reconstructed, which revealed that the neutron halo in the ¹²B nucleus practically does not manifest itself in the ¹⁰B(t, p)¹²B reaction.     

The quadrupole moment of the neutron-halo nucleus11Li

The quadrupole moment ratio of⁹Li and¹¹Li was measured by a combination of in-beam laser induced nuclear polarization and Β-NMR in LiNbO₃. The result ¦Q(¹¹Li)/Q(⁹Li)¦=1.14(16) is consistent with cluster models describing¹¹Li as composed of a⁹Li core and a far extended halo of two loosely bound neutrons.     

Core-breakup reactions of the halo nuclei 11Be and 11Li: momentum distributions and shadow effects

The halo nuclei ¹¹Be and ¹¹Li have been studied in core-breakup reactions where the halo neutrons are expected to be released without a major distortion due to the reaction. The widths of the halo-neutron momentum distributions have been extracted in coincidence with He fragments, Γ = 32 ± 4 MeV/c, and Li fragments, Γ = 42 ± 4 MeV/c for ¹¹Be and with He fragments, Γ = 42 ± 6 MeV/c for ¹¹Li. The ¹¹Be breakup gives a very low neutron multiplicity of 0.38±0.09 which is a manifestation of the shadowing of the neutron in the core-breakup reaction. This value can be understood from a simple theoretical calculation, which also accounts for the observed transverse momentum widths at small angles.     

Microscopic multicluster description of the 7Li7Be, 8Li8B and 9Li9C mirror nuclei

The ⁹Li and ⁹C mirror systems are investigated in a microscopic α+³H+n+n and α+³He+p+p multicluster framework using the stochastic variational method. Possibility of existence of neutron (proton) halo structure is studied. The quadrupole moment of ⁹C is predicted to be −5.04 e fm².     

Possibility of Studying Neutron–Neutron Correlations in Halo Nuclei

An experimental investigation of the reaction of core pickup from ⁶He and ¹¹Li two-neutronhalo nuclei is proposed. In such experiments, neutron–neutron correlations in a halo nucleus will be assessed on the basis of the energy of a neutron–neutron quasibound state. A detailed kinematical simulation of the reaction ⁶He + ²H → ⁶Li + (nn) →⁶ Li + n + n is performed. It is shown that the energy of the quasibound state in question can determined from the shape of the energy spectrum of neutrons originating from the breakup of this state. In the proposed exclusive experiment, a beam of ⁶He (¹¹Li) nuclei with an energy of about 5 to 10 MeV per nucleon interacts with a deuterated-polyethylene target. This will permit detecting charged particles (⁶Li and ¹¹Be) and a neutron. On the basis of determining the energy of the neutron–neutron quasibound state, it will become possible to estimate the effective attraction between the valence neutrons in the field of the third particle (core).     

Three-Body Structure of 11Li

A variational calculation for neutron rich nucleus l1 Li is made in the ⁹Li + n + n model. The ⁹Li-neutron and neutron-neutron interactions are chosen to be of the Gaussian potentials with a repulsive core and an attractive tail. The strlicture and interparticle correlations are studied. A direct verification supporting neutron halo structure is found by inspecting the correlated densities.     

Characteristics of elastic proton scattering from <Emphasis Type="Italic">A</Emphasis> = 9 Li,Be, and C isobars

Differential cross sections and analyzing powers (A _y ) for elastic proton scattering from ⁹Be at 220 MeV and 1.0 GeV and from ⁹Li and ⁹C at 60 and 700 MeV/nucleon are calculated in the context of the Glauber diffraction theory with the three-body wave functions for the ⁹Be, ⁹Li, and ⁹C nuclei described by the α + α + n, ⁷Li + n + n, and ⁷Be + p + p models. Comparison with the available experimental data is made, which allows some conclusions about the quality of the model wave functions.     

Multi-nucleon transfer reactions and fusion with unstable nuclei

We show that a large number of neutrons are expected to be transferred from the projectile to the target if a neutron rich unstable nucleus with a neutron skin is used as the projectile in heavy-ion collisions at energies about twice the Coulomb barrier. We then show that though the neutron halo enhances the fusion cross section through the size effect, the additional effect due to the molecular bond formation is not significant in the fusion between ¹¹Li and ⁹Li at energies near and below the Coulomb barrier.     

Nuclear-matter distributions of halo nuclei from elastic proton scattering in inverse kinematics

Proton-nucleus elastic scattering at intermediate energies, a well-established method for probing nuclear-matter density distributions of stable nuclei, was applied for the first time to exotic nuclei. This method is demonstrated to be an effective means for obtaining accurate and detailed information on the size and radial shape of halo nuclei. Absolute differential cross-sections for small-angle scattering were measured at energies near 700 MeV/u for the neutron-rich helium isotopes ⁶He and ⁸He, and more recently for the lithium isotopes ⁶Li, ⁸Li, ⁹Li and ¹¹Li, using He and Li beams provided by the fragment separator FRS at GSI Darmstadt. Experiments were performed in inverse kinematics using the hydrogen-filled ionization chamber IKAR which served simultaneously as target and recoil-proton detector. For deducing nuclear-matter distributions, differential cross-sections calculated with the aid of the Glauber multiple-scattering theory, using various parametrizations for the nucleon density distributions as input, were fitted to the experimental cross-sections. The results on nuclear-matter radii and matter distributions are presented, and the significance of the data for a halo structure is discussed. Nuclear-matter distributions obtained for ⁶He and ⁸He conform with the concept that both nuclei compose of α-particle like cores and significant neutron halos. The matter distribution in ¹¹Li exhibits, as expected from previous reaction cross-section studies with nuclear targets, the by far most extended halo component of all nuclei being investigated. In addition the present data allow a quantitative comparison of the structure of the He and Li isobares of either the mass number A = 6 or A = 8. The measured differential cross-sections have also been used for probing density distributions as predicted from various microscopic calculations. A few examples are presented. Received: 21 March 2002 / Accepted: 16 May 2002 / Published online: 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: p.egelhof@gsi.de