Extrapolation from positive to negative energy of the Woods-Saxon parametrization of the n-208Pb mean field

The real part V(r); E) of the nucleon-nucleus mean field is assumed to have a Woods-Saxon shape, and accordingly to be fully specified by three quantities: the potential depth U_v(E), radius R_V(E) and diffuseness a_v(E). At a given nucleon energy E these parameters can be determined from three different radial moments r^q]_v = (4π/A) ∝V(r; E)r^q dr. This is useful because a dispersion relation approach has recently been developed for extrapolating r^q]_V(E) from positive to negative energy, using as inputs the radial moments of the real and imaginary parts of empirical optical-model potentials V(r; E) + iW(r; E). In the present work, the values of U_v(E), R_v(E) and a_v(E) are calculated in the case of neutrons in ²⁰⁸Pb in the energy domain −20 < E < 40 MeV from the values of r^q]_V(E) for q = 0.8, 2 and 4. It is found that both U_V(E) and R_v(E) have a characteristic energy dependence. The energy dependence of the diffuseness a_a(E) is less reliably predicted by the method. The radius R_V(E) increases when E decreases from 40 to 5 MeV. This behaviour is in agreement with empirical evidence. In the energy domain −10 MeV < E < 0, R_V(E) is predicted to decrease with decreasing energy. The energy dependence of the root mean square radius is similar to that of R_V(E). The potential depth U_v slightly increases when E decreases from 40 to 15 MeV and slightly decreases between 10 and 5 MeV; it is consequently approximately constant in the energy domain 5 < E < 20 MeV, in keeping with empirical evidence. The depth U_v increases linearly with decreasing E in the domain −10 MeV < E < 0. These features are shown to persist when one modifies the detailed input of the calculation, namely the empirical values of r^q]_v(E) for E > 0 and the parametrization r_q]_w(E) of the energy dependence of the radial moments of the imaginary part of the empirical optical-model potentials. In the energy domain −10 MeV < E < 0, the calculated V(r; E) yields good agreement with the experimental single-particle energies; the model thus accurately predicts the shell-model potential (E < 0) from the extrapolation of the optical-model potential (E > 0). In the dispersion relation approach, the real part V(r; E) is the sum of a Hartree-Fock type contribution V_HF(r; E) and of a dispersive contribution ΔV(r; E). The latter is due to the excitation of the ²⁰⁸Pb core. The dispersion relation approach enables the calculation of the radial moment r^q]_ΔV(E) from the parametrization r^q]_w(E): several schematic models are considered which yield algebraic expressions for r^q]_ΔV(E). The radial moments r^q]_HF(E) are approximated by linear functions of E. When in addition, it is assumed that V_HF(r; E) has a Woods-Saxon radial shape, the energy dependence of its potential parameters (U_HF, R_HF, a_HF) can be calculated. Furthermore, the values of ΔV(r; E) can then be derived. It turns out that ΔV(r; E) is peaked at the nuclear surface near the Fermi energy and acquires a Woods-Saxon type shape when the energy increases, in keeping with previous qualitative estimates. It is responsible for the peculiar energy dependence of R_V(E) in the vicinity of the Fermi energy.