arXiv subjects

Elena Litvinova

Publications and source records attributed to Elena Litvinova.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Pion-nucleon correlations in finite nuclei in a relativistic framework: effects on the shell structure

The relativistic particle-vibration coupling (RPVC) model is extended by the inclusion of spin- and isospin-flip excitation modes into the phonon space, introducing a new mechanism of dynamical interaction between nucleons with different isospin in the nuclear medium. Protons and neutrons exchange by collective modes which are formed by isovector $π$ and $ρ$-mesons, in turn, softened considerably because of coupling to nucleons of the medium. These modes are investigated within the proton-neutron relativistic random phase approximation (pn-RRPA) and relativistic proton-neutron time blocking approximation (pn-RTBA). The appearance of isospin-flip states with sizable transition probabilities at low energies points out that they are likely to couple to the single-particle degrees of freedom and, in addition to isoscalar low-lying phonons, to modify their spectroscopic characteristics. Such a coupling is quantified for the shell structure of $^{100,132}$Sn and found significant for the location of the dominant single-particle states.

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arXiv2015

Impact of pion dynamics on nuclear shell structure

Spin-isospin response in exotic nuclear systems is investigated. It is found that in some nuclei excitations with pionic quantum numbers (0-, 1+, 2-, ...) appear at very low energies with large transition probabilities, which is an indication of the vicinity of the onset of pion condensation. As an example, 2- components of the spin-dipole resonance in 78-Ni and 132-Sn are considered. The existence of such modes points out to the necessity of taking into account their coupling to other elementary modes of excitation, e.g. single-quasiparticle ones. This coupling is introduced in the theory for the first time. Thereby, pion-exchange contribution to the nucleon-nucleon interaction is included in the relativistic framework beyond the Hartree-Fock approximation. Namely, classes of Feynman diagrams are selected according to their significance for nuclear spectroscopic characteristics, such as single-particle energies and strength functions, and included into the nucleonic self-energy in all orders of meson-exchange. As an illustration, the impact of these new contributions on the single-particle energies of 100-Sn is discussed.

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arXiv2015

Nuclear response theory with multiphonon coupling in a covariant framework

Background: Nuclear excited states within a wide range of excitation energies are formally described by the linear response theory. Besides its conventional formulation within the quasiparticle random phase approximation (QRPA) representing excited states as two correlated quasiparticles (2q), there exist extensions for 4q configurations. Such extended approaches are quite successful in the description of gross properties of nuclear spectra, however, accounting for many of their fine features requires further extension of the configuration space. Purpose: This work aims at the development of an approach which is capable of such an extension as well as of reproducing and predicting fine spectral properties, which are of special interest at low energies. Method: The method is based on the covariant density functional theory and time blocking approximation, which is extended for couplings between quasiparticles and multiphonon excitations. Results: The covariant multiphonon response theory is developed and adopted for nuclear structure calculations in medium-mass and heavy nuclei. The equations are formulated in both general and coupled forms in the spherical basis. Conclusions: The developed covariant multiphonon response theory represents a new generation of the approaches to nuclear response, which aims at a unified description of both high-frequency collective states and low-energy spectroscopy in medium-mass and heavy nuclei.

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arXiv2014

Isospin transfer modes in exotic nuclei

This work presents an approach to nuclear spin-isospin response, which is capable of describing the overall strength distribution up to high excitation energies, including the fine structure of the low-lying strength, and resolving the long-standing quenching problem. The model is a covariant realization of the nuclear field theory and based on the self-consistent extensions of the covariant energy density functional (CEDF) theory. Results of the recent calculations for spin-isospin response of ordinary and exotic medium-mass nuclei are presented and discussed.

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arXiv2014

Population of dipole states via isoscalar probes: the splitting of pygmy dipole resonance in $^{124}$Sn}

Inelastic $α$-scattering excitation cross sections are calculated for electric dipole excitations in $^{124}$Sn based on the transition densities obtained from the relativistic quasiparticle time-blocking approximation (RQTBA) in the framework of a semiclassical model. The calculation provides the missing link to directly compare the results from the microscopic RQTBA calculations to recent experimental data measured via the $(α,α'γ)$ reaction, which show a structural splitting of the low-lying E1 strength often denoted as pygmy dipole resonance (PDR). The experimentally observed splitting is reproduced by the cross section calculations, which allows to draw conclusion on the structure of the PDR.

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arXiv2013

Relativistic two-phonon model for low-energy nuclear response

A two-phonon version of the relativistic quasiparticle time blocking approximation introduces as a new class of many-body models for nuclear structure calculations based on the covariant energy density functional. As a fully consistent extension of the relativistic quasiparticle random phase approximation, the relativistic two-phonon model implies fragmentation of nuclear states over two-quasiparticle and two-phonon configurations coupled to each other. In particular, we show how the lowest two-phonon $1^-$ state, identified as a member of the $[2^+\otimes 3^-]$ quintuplet, emerges from the coherent two-quasiparticle pygmy dipole mode in vibrational nuclei. The inclusion of the two-phonon configurations into the model space allows a quantitative description of the positions and the reduced transition probabilities of the lowest 1$^-$ states in tin isotopes $^{112,116,120,124}$Sn as well as the low-energy fraction of the dipole strength below the giant dipole resonance without any adjustment procedures. The model is applied to the low-lying dipole strength in neutron-rich $^{68,70,72}$Ni isotopes. Recent experimental data for $^{68}$Ni are reproduced fairly well.

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arXiv2013

Microscopic description of nuclear vibrations: Relativistic QRPA and its extensions with quasiparticle-vibration coupling

The recent extensions of the covariant energy density functional theory with the quasiparticle-vibration coupling (QVC) are reviewed. Formulation of the Quasiparticle Random Phase Approximation (QRPA) in the relativistic framework is discussed. Self-consistent extensions of the relativistic QRPA imply the QVC which is implemented in two-body propagators in the nuclear medium. This provides fragmentation of the QRPA states describing the damping of the vibrational motion.

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arXiv2013

Low-energy limit of the radiative dipole strength in nuclei

We explain the low-energy anomaly reported in several experimental studies of the radiative dipole strength functions in medium-mass nuclei. These strength functions at very low gamma-energies correspond to the gamma-transitions between very close nuclear excited states in the quasicontinuum. In terms of the thermal mean-field, the low-energy enhancement of the strength functions in highly-excited compound nuclei is explained by nucleonic transitions from the thermally unblocked single-quasiparticle states to the single-(quasi)particle continuum. This result is obtained within the finite-temperature quasiparticle random phase approximation in the coordinate space with exact treatment of the single-particle continuum and exactly eliminated spurious translational mode. The case of radiative dipole strength functions at the nuclear excitation energies typical for the thermal neutron capture is illustrated for 94-Mo and 144-Nd in comparison to available data.

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arXiv2011

Quasiparticle-vibration coupling in relativistic framework: shell structure of Z=120 isotopes

For the first time, the shell structure of open-shell nuclei is described in a fully self-consistent extension of the covariant energy density functional theory. The approach implies quasiparticle-vibration coupling for superfluid systems. One-body Dyson equation formulated in the doubled quasiparticle space of Dirac spinors is solved for nucleonic propagators in tin isotopes which represent the reference case: the obtained energies of the single-quasiparticle levels and their spectroscopic amplitudes are in agreement with data. The model is applied to describe the shell evolution in a chain of superheavy isotopes $^{292,296,300,304}$120 and finds a rather stable proton spherical shell closure at Z = 120. An interplay of the pairing correlations and the quasiparticle-phonon coupling gives rise for a smooth evolution of the neutron shell gap between N = 172 and N = 184 neutron numbers. Vibrational corrections to the alpha decay energies reach several hundred keV and can be either positive and negative, thus also smearing the shell effects.

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arXiv2009

Mode-coupling and the pygmy dipole resonance in a relativistic two-phonon model

A two-phonon version of the relativistic quasiparticle time blocking approximation (RQTBA-2) represents a new class of many-body models for nuclear structure calculations based on the covariant energy density functional. As a fully consistent extension of the relativistic quasiparticle random phase approximation (RQRPA), the two-phonon RQTBA implies a fragmentation of nuclear states over two-quasiparticle and two-phonon configurations. This leads, in particular, to a splitting-out of the lowest 1$^-$ state as a member of the two-phonon $[2^+\otimes3^-]$ quintuplet from the RQRPA pygmy dipole mode, thus establishing a physical mixing between these three modes. The inclusion of the two-phonon configurations in the model space allows to describe the positions and the reduced transition probabilities of the lowest 1$^-$ states in isotopes $^{116,120}$Sn as well as the low-energy fraction of the dipole strength without any adjustment procedures. The model is also applied to the low-lying dipole strength in neutron-rich $^{68,70,72}$Ni isotopes. Recent experimental data for $^{68}$Ni are reproduced fairly well.

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arXiv2009

On Th229 and time-dependent fundamental constants

The electromagnetic transition between the almost degenerate 5/2+ and 3/2+ states in Th229 is deemed to be very sensitive to potential changes in the fine structure constant alpha. State of the art Hartree-Fock and Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculations are performed to compute the difference in Coulomb energies of the two states which determines the amplification of variations in alpha into variations of the transition frequency. The kinetic energies are also calculated which reflect a possible variation in the nucleon or quark masses. A generalized Hellmann-Feynman theorem is proved including the use of density-matrix functionals. As the two states differ mainly in the orbit occupied by the last unpaired neutron the Coulomb energy difference results from a change in the nuclear polarization of the proton distribution. This effect turns out to be rather small and to depend on the nuclear model, the amplification varies between about -4 x 10^4 and +4 x 10^4. Therefore much more effort must be put into the improvement of the nuclear models before one can draw conclusions from a measured drift in the transition frequency on a temporal drift of fundamental constants. All calculations published so far do not reach the necessary fidelity. PACS 06.20.Jr,21.60.Jz,27.90.+b

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