Skyrme-QRPA calculations for low-lying excitation modes in deformed neutron-rich nuclei

Low-frequency modes of excitation in deformed neutron-rich nuclei are studied by means of the quasiparticle random-phase approximation on the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov mean field. We investigate the microscopic structure of the soft $\ensuremath K^{\pi} = 0^{+}$ modes systematically in neutron-rich magnesium isotopes with N = 22, 24, 26 and 28 close to the drip line, and it is found that the strong collectivity in ³⁴Mg and ⁴⁰Mg is acquired due to the coherent coupling between the $ \beta$ vibration and the pairing vibration of neutrons. Microscopic structure of the $\ensuremath K^{\pi} = 2^{+}$ modes changes gradually associated with the location of the Fermi level of neutrons, and it is found that the proton particle-hole excitation generating the $ \gamma$ -vibrational mode in ²⁴Mg continues to play a key role in the near-drip-line nucleus ⁴⁰Mg . The low-frequency octupole excitations are also investigated and the microscopic mechanism for the enhancement of transition strengths is discussed.     

A revisit to the neutron skin thickness of neutron-rich nuclei in the statistical abrasion ablation model

The cross sections of the fragments produced in the projectile fragmentation reactions of the even calcium isotopes from A=36 to A=52 are calculated using the statistical abrasion ablation model.The neutron skin thickness are studied by investigating the fragments isotopic cross section distributions.The neutron-skin thicknesses of the calcium isotopes have a good linear correlation to the peak positions of their fragment isotopic cross section distributions.The correlation between the neutron skin thickness and the neutron density distributions of 48 Ca is investigated by introducing a parameter to adjust the diffuseness parameter in the fermi-type density distribution.     

A revisit to the neutron skin thickness of neutron-rich nuclei in the statistical abrasion ablation model

The cross sections of the fragments produced in the projectile fragmentation reactions of the even calcium isotopes from A=36 to A=52 are calculated using the statistical abrasion ablation model.The neutron skin thickness are studied by investigating the fragments isotopic cross section distributions.The neutron-skin thicknesses of the calcium isotopes have a good linear correlation to the peak positions of their fragment isotopic cross section distributions.The correlation between the neutron skin thickness and the neutron density distributions of 48Ca is investigated by introducing a parameter to adjust the diffuseness parameter in the fermi-type density distribution.     

Investigating the neutron and proton density distributions in extremely neutron-rich nuclei

Manifestations of the neutron halo in extremely neutron-rich nuclei are investigated by the Hartree-Fock method using the Skyrme forces (SkM*, Ska, Sly4, SkI2) with allowance for axial deformation. The investigated nuclei, which lie beyond the theoretical neutron drip line (NDL), form peninsulas of nuclei stable with respect to one-neutron emission and belong to chains of isotones with the neutron number N = 32, 58, 82, 126, 184, and 258.     

Isoscalar and isovector nuclear matter properties and neutron skin thickness

Isoscalar and isovector nuclear matter properties are investigated in the Skyrme Hartree-Fock (SHF) and the relativistic mean field (RMF) models. The Skyrme parameters are related analytically to the isoscalar and the isovector nuclear matter properties of the Hamiltonian density. Linear correlations are found among the isovector nuclear matter properties of the Hamiltonian density in both the SHF and the RMF models. We also discovered that the correlations between the isovector properties and the incompressibility K show a singularity at the critical incompressibility K_c=306 MeV. It is shown that the neutron skin thickness gives crucial information about not only for the neutron EOS but also about the isovector nuclear matter properties and about the parameterization of Skyrme interaction. Charge exchange spin-dipole (SD) excitations are proposed to determine the neutron skin thickness model independently.     

Microscopic form factors for inelastic excitation of isovector modes in heavy-ion reactions

Microscopic form factors are calculated for the excitation of isovector modes in heavy-ion reactions. They are constructed from RPA model wave functions. For the case of giant dipole resonances, the results are compared with the Goldhaber-Teller and Jensen-Steinwedel macroscopic expressions.     

Role of nuclear couplings in the inelastic excitation of weakly bound neutron-rich nuclei

We study the breakup of weakly bound systems close to the neutron drip line in collisions with heavy-ions. The process is described in terms of inelastic excitations leading to states in the continuum. The nuclear and Coulomb multipole fields induced by the reaction partner are both included in the microscopic construction of the inelastic form factors. A fraction of the dissociation cross sections is triggered by the presence of resonances at high excitation energy. The largest probabilities for breakup result, however, from strongly coupled transitions to low-lying states in the continuum. Nuclear couplings associated with inelastic excitation to these states are found to extend to unusually large distances. As a consequence, the interplay of nuclear and Coulomb excitations differs from the ordinary situation encountered in heavy-ion inelastic processes involving systems close to the stability line.     

Muon capture on neutron-rich nuclei

Future facilities will allow the exploration of extremely neutron-rich nuclei far from the valley of stability. It is discussed that the strong-neutron excess results in changes in the collective excitations of such nuclei compared to conventional stable nuclei. We propose muon capture as an experimental tool to explore such changes. We will quantify our discussion by the calculation of the total and differential muon capture rates on selected calcium isotopes between ⁴⁰Ca and ⁶⁰Ca. Our calculations are based on the random phase approximation and agree nicely with the measured rates for ⁴⁰Ca and ⁴⁴Ca. Received: 6 April 2001 / Accepted: 14 May 2001     

Current topics on light neutron-rich nuclei

Highlights of RIKEN radioactive beam experiments are reviewed. In particular the phenomena of giant soft dipole excitation of halo nuclei are closely discussed.     

Neutrino-induced fission of neutron-rich nuclei

We calculate neutrino-induced fission cross sections for selected nuclei with Z=84-92. We show that these reactions populate the daughter nucleus at excitation energies where shell effects are significantly washed out, effectively reducing the fission barrier. If the r process occurs in the presence of a strong neutrino fluence, and electron neutrino average energies are sufficiently high, perhaps as a result of matter-enhanced neutrino flavor transformation, then neutrino-induced fission could lead to significant alteration in the r-process flow in slow outflow scenarios.     

Cluster of nucleons as elementary modes of excitation in nuclei

Conditions which must be fulfilled by clusters of nucleons to qualify as elementary modes of excitation are analysed in terms of simple criteria involving experimental binding energies. It is found that the most complex possible mode is the α-like cluster.     

On the excitation of isovector dipole strength by inelastic proton scattering in the giant resonance region in light nuclei

A detailed comparison between inelastic α and p scattering in the giant resonance region of ^{24, 26}Mg, ²⁸Si and ⁴⁰Ca shows that there is no evidence for ΔT = 1, E1 excitation in the (p, p′) spectra. This is consistent with DWBA calculations using a recently obtained isovector interaction potential.     

Quenching of neutron E2 effective charge in neutron-rich nuclei and the ground-state spin-parity of 17C

The electric quadrupole moment of ¹⁷B and the g-factor of ¹⁷C were measured by using the fragmentation-induced nuclear polarization technique combined with the β-NMR method. The experimental quadrupole moment of ¹⁷B is found strikingly close to that of the neutron closed-shell isotope ¹³B, indicating a strong quenching of the neutron E2 core-polarization charge. From the result obtained for the ¹⁷C g-factor, we can conclude that the ground-state spin-parity of ¹⁷C is 3/2⁺. Received: 1 May 2001 / Accepted: 4 December 2001     

Beta-decay properties of strongly neutron-rich nuclei

Experimental β-strength functions for about 50 neutron-rich mass-separated fission products with half-lives between 0.8 s and 30 s have been obtained at the OSIRIS facility. The β-strength to excited states depopulating by delayed-neutron emission is evaluated separately. The β^? strength functions are found to increase strongly with excitation energy, which is in contrast to the approximately energy-independent β-strength found for EC decay. By using semiempirical values for the level density, the average transition rate per energy level was evaluated under the assumption that only allowed transitions contribute to the decay. This alternative way of analyzing the data gives a more uniform picture of the β-decay to highly excited states since the transition rates are found to be roughly independent of excitation energy (above the pairing energy). A model of constant transition rate to each final level is introduced and its systematic behaviour is studied. Its use for estimating half-lives of unmeasured nuclides is of value for calculations on nucleosynthesis by the “r-process”. (A listing of β-feed and β-strength functions is available on request.)     

Structure of neutron-rich s-d shell nuclei

States in neutron-rich s-d shell nuclei were populated in the reaction of a ¹⁴C beam at E _lab=22 MeV on a ¹⁴C target. Coincidences between γ rays and either other γ rays or light charged particles were measured. γ rays in coincidence with protons established levels at 66.8, 1730, 1823, and 2219 keV in ²⁷Na. The states are compared with calculations based on the s-d shell model and the cranked Nilsson-Strutinsky model. A number of levels in ²⁴Ne were observed in both α-γ and α-γ-γ coincidences and are compared with shell-model calculations.