arXiv subjects

Jenny Lee

Publications and source records attributed to Jenny Lee.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Symmetry Energy II: Isobaric Analog States

Using excitation energies to isobaric analog states (IAS) and charge invariance, we extract nuclear symmetry coefficients, from a mass formula, on a nucleus-by-nucleus basis. Consistently with charge invariance, the coefficients vary weakly across an isobaric chain. However, they change strongly with nuclear mass and range from a_a~10 MeV at mass A~10 to a_a~22 MeV at A~240. Following the considerations of a Hohenberg-Kohn functional for nuclear systems, we determine how to find in practice the symmetry coefficient using neutron and proton densities, even when those densities are simultaneously affected by significant symmetry-energy and Coulomb effects. These results facilitate extracting the symmetry coefficients from Skyrme-Hartree-Fock (SHF) calculations, that we carry out using a variety of Skyrme parametrizations in the literature. For the parametrizations, we catalog novel short-wavelength instabilities. In comparing the SHF and IAS results for the symmetry coefficients, we arrive at narrow (+-2.4 MeV) constraints on the symmetry energy values S(rho) at 0.04<rho<0.13 fm^-3. Towards normal density the constraints significantly widen, but the normal value of energy a_a^V and the slope parameter L are found to be strongly correlated. To narrow the constraints, we reach for the measurements of asymmetry skins and arrive at a_a^V=(30.2-33.7) MeV and L=(35-70) MeV, with those values being again strongly positively correlated along the diagonal of their combined region. Inclusion of the skin constraints allows to narrow the constraints on S(rho), at 0.04<rho<0.13 fm^-3, down to +-1.1 MeV. Several microscopic calculations, including variational, Bruckner-Hartree-Fock and Dirac-Bruckner-Hartree-Fock, are consistent with our constraint region on S(rho).

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arXiv2012

Democratic decay of 6Be exposed by correlations

The interaction of an E/A=70 - MeV 7Be beam with a Be target was used to populate levels in 6Be following neutron knockout reactions. The three-body decay of the ground and first excited states into the alpha+p+p exit channel were detected in the High Resolution Array. Precise three-body correlations extracted from the experimental data allowed us to obtain insight into the mechanism of the three-body democratic decay. The correlation data are in a good agreement with a three-cluster-model calculation and thus validate this theoretical approach over a broad energy range.

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arXiv2012

Constraints on the symmetry energy and neutron skins from experiments and theory

The symmetry energy contribution to the nuclear Equation of State (EoS) impacts various phenomena in nuclear astrophysics, nuclear structure, and nuclear reactions. Its determination is a key objective of contemporary nuclear physics with consequences for the understanding of dense matter within neutron stars. We examine the results of laboratory experiments that have provided initial constraints on the nuclear symmetry energy and its density dependence at and somewhat below normal nuclear matter density. Some of these constraints have been derived from properties of nuclei. Others have been derived from the nuclear response to electroweak and hadronic probes. We also examine the most frequently used theoretical models that predict the symmetry energy and its slope. By comparing existing constraints on the symmetry pressure to theories, we demonstrate how the contribution of the three-body force, an essential ingredient in neutron matter models, can be determined.

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arXiv2011

Symmetry Energy from Systematic of Isobaric Analog States

Excitation energies to isobaric states, that are analogs of ground states, are dominated by contributions from the symmetry energy. This opens up a possibility of investigating the symmetry energy on nucleus-by-nucleus basis. Upon correcting energies of measured nuclear levels for shell and pairing effects, we find that the lowest energies for a given isospin rise in proportion to the square of isospin, allowing for an interpretation of the coefficient of proportionality in terms of a symmetry coefficient for a given nucleus. In the (A,Z) regions where there are enough data, we demonstrate a Z-independence of that coefficient. We further concentrate on the A-dependence of the coefficient, in order to learn about the density dependence of symmetry energy in uniform matter, given the changes of the density in the surface region. In parallel to the analysis of data, we carry out an analysis of the coefficient for nuclei calculated within the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock (SHF) approach, with known symmetry energy for uniform matter. While the data from isobaric analog states suggest a simple interpretation for the A-dependent symmetry coefficient, in terms of the surface and volume symmetry coefficients, the SHF results point to a more complicated situation within the isovector sector than in the isoscalar, with much stronger curvature effects in the first. We exploit the SHF results in estimating the curvature contributions to the symmetry coefficient. That assessment is hampered by instabilities of common Skyrme parameterizations of nuclear interactions.

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arXiv2011

Angular Dependence in Proton-Proton Correlation Functions in Central $^{40}Ca+^{40}Ca$ and $^{48}Ca+^{48}Ca$ Reactions

The angular dependence of proton-proton correlation functions is studied in central $^{40}Ca+^{40}Ca$ and $^{48}Ca+^{48}Ca$ nuclear reactions at E=80 MeV/A. Measurements were performed with the HiRA detector complemented by the 4$π$ Array at NSCL. A striking angular dependence in the laboratory frame is found within p-p correlation functions for both systems that greatly exceeds the measured and expected isospin dependent difference between the neutron-rich and neutron-deficient systems. Sources measured at backward angles reflect the participant zone of the reaction, while much larger sources observed at forward angles reflect the expanding, fragmenting and evaporating projectile remnants. The decrease of the size of the source with increasing momentum is observed at backward angles while a weaker trend in the opposite direction is observed at forward angles. The results are compared to the theoretical calculations using the BUU transport model.

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arXiv2011

Investigations of three, four, and five-particle exit channels of levels in light nuclei created using a 9C beam

The interactions of a E/A=70-MeV 9C beam with a Be target was used to populate levels in Be, B, and C isotopes which undergo decay into many-particle exit channels. The decay products were detected in the HiRA array and the level energies were identified from their invariant mass. Correlations between the decay products were examined to deduce the nature of the decays, specifically to what extent all the fragments were created in one prompt step or whether the disintegration proceeded in a sequential fashion through long-lived intermediate states. In the latter case, information on the spin of the level was also obtained. Of particular interest is the 5-body decay of the 8C ground state which was found to disintegrate in two steps of two-proton decay passing through the 6Beg.s. intermediate state. The isobaric analog of 8Cg.s. in 8B was also found to undergo two-proton decay to the isobaric analog of 6Beg.s. in 6Li. A 9.69-MeV state in 10C was found to undergo prompt 4-body decay to the 2p+2alpha exit channel. The two protons were found to have a strong enhancementin the diproton region and the relative energies of all four p-alpha pairs were consistent with the 5Lig.s. resonance.

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arXiv2010

Neutron-proton asymmetry dependence of spectroscopic factors in Ar isotopes

Spectroscopic factors have been extracted for proton rich 34Ar and neutron rich 46Ar using the (p,d) neutron transfer reaction. The experimental results show little reduction of the ground state neutron spectroscopic factor of the proton rich nucleus 34Ar compared to that of 46Ar. The results suggest that correlations, which generally reduce such spectroscopic factors, do not depend strongly on the neutron-proton asymmetry of the nucleus in this isotopic region as was reported in knockout reactions. The present results are consistent with results from systematic studies of transfer reactions but inconsistent with the trends observed in knockout reaction measurements.

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arXiv2009

Neutron spectroscopic factors of Ni isotopes from transfer reactions

177 neutron spectroscopic factors for nickel isotopes have been extracted by performing a systematic analysis of the angular distributions measured from (d,p) transfer reactions. A subset of the extracted spectroscopic factors are compared to predictions of large-basis shell models in the full pf model space using the GXPF1A effective interaction, and the (f5/2, p3/2, p1/2, g9/2) model space using the JJ4PNA interaction. For ground states, the predicted spectroscopic factors using the GXPF1A effective interaction in the full pf model space agree very well with the experimental values, while predictions based on several other effective interactions and model spaces are about 30% higher than the experimental values. For low-energy excited states (<3.5 MeV), the agreement between the extracted spectroscopic factors and shell model calculations is not better than a factor of two.

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arXiv2009

Survey of excited state neutron spectroscopic factors for Z=8-28 nuclei

We have extracted 565 neutron spectroscopic factors of sd and fp shell nuclei by systematically analyzing more than 2000 measured (d,p) angular distributions. We are able to compare 125 of the extracted spectroscopic factors to values predicted by large-basis shell-model calculations and evaluate the accuracies of spectroscopic factors predicted by different shell-model interactions in these regions. We find that the spectroscopic factors predicted for most excited states of sd-shell nuclei using the latest USDB or USDA interactions agree with the experimental values. For fp shell nuclei, the inability of the current models to account for the core excitation and fragmentation of the states leads to considerable discrepancies. In particular, the agreement between data and shell-model predictions for Ni isotopes is not better than a factor of two using either the GXPF1A or the XT interaction.

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arXiv2008

Symmetry Energy in Nuclear Surface

Interplay between the dependence of symmetry energy on density and the variation of nucleonic densities across nuclear surface is discussed. That interplay gives rise to the mass dependence of the symmetry coefficient in an energy formula. Charge symmetry of the nuclear interactions allows to introduce isoscalar and isovector densities that are approximately independent of the magnitude of neutron-proton asymmetry.

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arXiv2008

Symmetry Energy I: Semi-Infinite Matter

Energy for a nucleus is considered in macroscopic limit, in terms of nucleon numbers. Further considered for a nuclear system is the Hohenberg-Kohn energy functional, in terms of proton and neutron densities. Finally, Skyrme-Hartree-Fock calculations are carried out for a half-infinite particle-stable nuclear-matter. In each case, the attention is focused on the role of neutron-proton asymmetry and on the nuclear symmetry energy. We extend the considerations on the symmetry term from an energy formula to the respective term in the Hohenberg-Kohn functional. We show, in particular, that in the limit of an analytic functional, and subject to possible Coulomb corrections, it is possible to construct isoscalar and isovector densities out of the proton and neutron densities, that retain a universal relation to each other, approximately independent of asymmetry. In the so-called local approximation, the isovector density is inversely proportional to the symmetry energy in uniform matter at the local isoscalar density. Generalized symmetry coefficient of a nuclear system is related, in the analytic limit of a functional, to an integral of the isovector density. We test the relations, inferred from the Hohenberg-Kohn functional, in the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock calculations of half-infinite matter. Within the calculations, we obtain surface symmetry coefficients and parameters characterizing the densities, for the majority of Skyrme parameterizations proposed in the literature. The volume-to-surface symmetry-coefficient ratio and the displacement of nuclear isovector relative to isoscalar surfaces both strongly increase as the slope of symmetry energy in the vicinity of normal density increases.

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arXiv2007

Symmetry Energy as a Function of Density and Mass

Energy in nuclear matter is, in practice, completely characterized at different densities and asymmetries, when the density dependencies of symmetry energy and of energy of symmetric matter are specified. The density dependence of the symmetry energy at subnormal densities produces mass dependence of nuclear symmetry coefficient and, thus, can be constrained by that latter dependence. We deduce values of the mass dependent symmetry coefficients, by using excitation energies to isobaric analog states. The coefficient systematic, for intermediate and high masses, is well described in terms of the symmetry coefficient values of a_a^V=(31.5-33.5) MeV for the volume coefficient and a_a^S=(9-12) MeV for the surface coefficient. These two further correspond to the parameter values describing density dependence of symmetry energy, of L~95 MeV and K_{sym}~25 MeV.

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arXiv2006

Neutron Spectroscopic Factors from Transfer Reactions

The present paper examines past measurements of the angular distributions for (d,p) and (p,d) reactions on targets with Z=3-24 leading to the ground states. The procedure is prescribed for extracting a conventional set of spectroscopic factors. Most of these spectroscopic factors agree well with large-basis shell model predictions. In all, the ground state neutron spectroscopic factors for 80 nuclei have been obtained. The consistency of the method is evaluated by comparing spectroscopic factors obtained separately in (p,d) and (d,p) reactions. The values correlate with Endt's compilation when available, but the current method is more general and the spectroscopic factor values obtained are more consistent with each other.

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arXiv2006

Reduced neutron spectroscopic factors when using potential geometries constrained by Hartree-Fock calculations

We carry out a systematic analysis of angular distribution measurements for selected ground-state to ground-state (d,p) and (p,d) neutron transfer reactions, including the calcium isotopes. We propose a consistent three-body model reaction methodology in which we constrain the transferred-neutron bound state and nucleon-target optical potential geometries using modern Hartree-Fock calculations. Our deduced neutron spectroscopic factors are found to be suppressed by ~30% relative to independent-particle shell-model values, from 40Ca through 49Ca. The other nuclei studied, ranging from B to Ti, show similar average suppressions with respect to large-basis shell-model expectations. Our results are consistent with deduced spectroscopic strengths for neutrons and protons from intermediate energy nucleon knockout reactions, and for protons from (e,e'p) reactions, on well-bound nuclei. PACS: 24.50.+g, 24.10.Eq, 25.40.-h, 25.45.-z

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arXiv2005

Survey of ground state neutron Spectroscopic Factors from Li to Cr isotopes

The ground state neutron spectroscopic factors for 80 nuclei ranging in Z from 3 to 24 have been extracted by analyzing the past measurements of the angular distributions from (d,p) and (p,d) reactions. We demonstrate an approach that provides systematic and consistent values with minimum assumptions. For the 61 nuclei that have been described by large-basis shell-model calculations, most experimental spectroscopic factors are reproduced to within 20%.

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