arXiv subjects

M. Bender

Publications and source records attributed to M. Bender.

106 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2001

Gamow-Teller strength and the spin-isospin coupling constants of the Skyrme energy functional

We investigate the effects of the spin-isospin channel of the Skyrme energy functional on predictions for Gamow-Teller distributions and superdeformed rotational bands. We use the generalized Skyrme interaction SkO' to describe even-even ground states and then analyze the effects of time-odd spin-isospin couplings, first term by term and then together via linear regression. Some terms affect the strength and energy of the Gamow-Teller resonance in finite nuclei without altering the Landau parameter g_0' that to leading order determines spin-isospin properties of nuclear matter. Though the existing data are not sufficient to uniquely determine all the spin-isospin couplings, we are able to fit them locally. Altering these coupling constants does not change the quality with which the Skyrme functional describes rotational bands.

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arXiv2001

The Z=82 shell closure in neutron-deficient Pb isotopes

Recent mass measurements show a substantial weakening of the binding energy difference delta_{2p} (Z,N) = E(Z-2,N) - 2 E(Z,N) + E(Z+2,N) in the neutron-deficient Pb isotopes. As delta_{2p} is often attributed to the size of the proton magic gap, it might be speculated that the reduction in delta_{2p} is related to a weakening of the spherical Z=82 shell. We demonstrate that the observed trend is described quantitatively by self-consistent mean-field models in terms of deformed ground states of Hg and Po isotopes.

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arXiv2001

GCM Analysis of the collective properties of lead isotopes with exact projection on particle numbers

We present a microscopic analysis of the collective behaviour of the lead isotopes in the vicinity of Pb208. In this study, we rely on a coherent approach based on the Generator Coordinate Method including exact projection on N and Z numbers within a collective space generated by means of the constrained Hartree-Fock BCS method. With the same Hamiltonian used in HF+BCS calculations, we have performed a comprehensive study including monopole, quadrupole and octupole excitations as well as pairing vibrations. We find that, for the considered nuclei, the collective modes which modify the most the conclusions drawn from the mean-field theory are the octupole and pairing vibrations.

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arXiv2001

Shell stabilization of super- and hyperheavy nuclei without magic gaps

Quantum stabilization of superheavy elements is quantified in terms of the shell-correction energy. We compute the shell correction using self-consistent nuclear models: the non-relativistic Skyrme-Hartree-Fock approach and the relativistic mean-field model, for a number of parametrizations. All the forces applied predict a broad valley of shell stabilization around Z=120 and N=172-184. We also predict two broad regions of shell stabilization in hyperheavy elements with N approx 258 and N approx 308. Due to the large single-particle level density, shell corrections in the superheavy elements differ markedly from those in lighter nuclei. With increasing proton and neutron numbers, the regions of nuclei stabilized by shell effects become poorly localized in particle number, and the familiar pattern of shells separated by magic gaps is basically gone.

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arXiv2000

Mean-field models and superheavy elements

We discuss the performance of two widely used nuclear mean-field models, the relativistic mean-field theory (RMF) and the non-relativistic Skyrme-Hartree-Fock approach (SHF), with particular emphasis on the description of superheavy elements (SHE). We provide a short introduction to the SHF and RMF, the relations between these two approaches and the relations to other nuclear structure models, briefly review the basic properties with respect to normal nuclear observables, and finally present and discuss recent results on the binding properties of SHE computed with a broad selection of SHF and RMF parametrisations.

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arXiv2000

Extrapolation of mean-field models to superheavy nuclei

The extrapolation of self-consistent nuclear mean-field models to the region of superheavy elements is discussed with emphasis on the extrapolating power of the models. The predictions of modern mean-field models are confronted with recent experimental data. It is shown that a final conclusion about the location of the expected island of spherical doubly-magic superheavy nuclei cannot be drawn on the basis of the available data.

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arXiv2000

Pairing gaps from nuclear mean-field models

We discuss the pairing gap, a measure for nuclear pairing correlations, in chains of spherical, semi-magic nuclei in the framework of self-consistent nuclear mean-field models. The equations for the conventional BCS model and the approximate projection-before-variation Lipkin-Nogami method are formulated in terms of local density functionals for the effective interaction. We calculate the Lipkin-Nogami corrections of both the mean-field energy and the pairing energy. Various definitions of the pairing gap are discussed as three-point, four-point and five-point mass-difference formulae, averaged matrix elements of the pairing potential, and single-quasiparticle energies. Experimental values for the pairing gap are compared with calculations employing both a delta pairing force and a density-dependent delta interaction in the BCS and Lipkin-Nogami model. Odd-mass nuclei are calculated in the spherical blocking approximation which neglects part of the the core polarization in the odd nucleus. We find that the five-point mass difference formula gives a very robust description of the odd-even staggering, other approximations for the gap may differ from that up to 30% for certain nuclei.

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arXiv1999

alpha-decay chains of Z=114, A=289 and Z=118, A=293 in the relativistic mean-field model

A comparison of calculated and experimental Q_alpha values of superheavy even-even nuclei and a few selected odd-N nuclei is presented in the framework of the relativistic mean-field model with the parameterization NL-Z2. Blocking effects are found to be important for a proper description of Q_alpha of odd mass nuclei. The model gives a good overall description of the available experimental data. The mass and charge assignment of the recently measured decay chains from Dubna and Berkeley is in agreement with the predictions of the model. The analysis of the new data does not allow a final conclusion about the location of the expected island of spherical doubly-magic superheavy nuclei.

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arXiv1999

Shell Corrections of Superheavy Nuclei in Self-Consistent Calculations

Shell corrections to the nuclear binding energy as a measure of shell effects in superheavy nuclei are studied within the self-consistent Skyrme-Hartree-Fock and Relativistic Mean-Field theories. Due to the presence of low-lying proton continuum resulting in a free particle gas, special attention is paid to the treatment of single-particle level density. To cure the pathological behavior of shell correction around the particle threshold, the method based on the Green's function approach has been adopted. It is demonstrated that for the vast majority of Skyrme interactions commonly employed in nuclear structure calculations, the strongest shell stabilization appears for Z=124, and 126, and for N=184. On the other hand, in the relativistic approaches the strongest spherical shell effect appears systematically for Z=120 and N=172. This difference has probably its roots in the spin-orbit potential. We have also shown that, in contrast to shell corrections which are fairly independent on the force, macroscopic energies extracted from self-consistent calculations strongly depend on the actual force parametrisation used. That is, the A and Z dependence of mass surface when extrapolating to unknown superheavy nuclei is prone to significant theoretical uncertainties.

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arXiv1999

Consequences of the center-of-mass correction in nuclear mean-field models

We study the influence of the scheme for the correction for spurious center-of-mass motion on the fit of effective interactions for self-consistent nuclear mean-field calculations. We find that interactions with very simple center-of-mass correction have significantly larger surface coefficients than interactions for which the center-of-mass correction was calculated for the actual many-body state during the fit. The reason for that is that the effective interaction has to counteract the wrong trends with nucleon number of all simplified schemes for center-of-mass correction which puts a wrong trend with mass number into the effective interaction itself. The effect becomes clearly visible when looking at the deformation energy of largely deformed systems, e.g. superdeformed states or fission barriers of heavy nuclei.

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arXiv1999

Pairing Gap and Polarisation Effects

The phenomenological adjustment of the nuclear pairing strength is usually performed with respect to the odd-even staggering of the binding energies. We find that the results strongly depend on the way in which the ground states of the odd nuclei are computed. A thorough calculation including all time-even and time-odd polarisation effects induced by the odd nucleon produces about 30% reduced odd-even staggering as compared to the standard spherical calculations in the relativistic mean-field model. The pairing strength must be enhanced by about 20% to compensate for that effect. The enhanced strength has dramatic consequences for the predicted deformation properties of the underlying mean-field models, possibly implying that new adjustments of their parameters become necessary as well.

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arXiv1999

Shell structure of superheavy nuclei in self-consistent mean-field models

We study the extrapolation of nuclear shell structure to the region of superheavy nuclei in self-consistent mean-field models -- the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock approach and the relativistic mean-field model -- using a large number of parameterizations. Results obtained with the Folded-Yukawa potential are shown for comparison. We focus on differences in the isospin dependence of the spin-orbit interaction and the effective mass between the models and their influence on single-particle spectra. While all relativistic models give a reasonable description of spin-orbit splittings, all non-relativistic models show a wrong trend with mass number. The spin-orbit splitting of heavy nuclei might be overestimated by 40%-80%. Spherical doubly-magic superheavy nuclei are found at (Z=114,N=184), (Z=120,N=172) or (Z=126,N=184) depending on the parameterization. The Z=114 proton shell closure, which is related to a large spin-orbit splitting of proton 2f states, is predicted only by forces which by far overestimate the proton spin-orbit splitting in Pb208. The Z=120 and N=172 shell closures predicted by the relativistic models and some Skyrme interactions are found to be related to a central depression of the nuclear density distribution. This effect cannot appear in macroscopic-microscopic models which have a limited freedom for the density distribution only. In summary, our findings give a strong argument for (Z=120,N=172) to be the next spherical doubly-magic superheavy nucleus.

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arXiv1999

Potential energy surfaces of superheavy nuclei

We investigate the structure of the potential energy surfaces of the superheavy nuclei 258Fm, 264Hs, (Z=112,N=166), (Z=114,N=184), and (Z=120,N=172) within the framework of self-consistent nuclear models, i.e. the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock approach and the relativistic mean-field model. We compare results obtained with one representative parametrisation of each model which is successful in describing superheavy nuclei. We find systematic changes as compared to the potential energy surfaces of heavy nuclei in the uranium region: there is no sufficiently stable fission isomer any more, the importance of triaxial configurations to lower the first barrier fades away, and asymmetric fission paths compete down to rather small deformation. Comparing the two models, it turns out that the relativistic mean-field model gives generally smaller fission barriers.

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arXiv1999

Beta decay of r-process waiting-point nuclei in a self-consistent approach

Beta-decay rates for spherical neutron-rich r-process waiting-point nuclei are calculated within a fully self-consistent Quasiparticle Random-Phase Approximation, formulated in the Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov canonical single-particle basis. The same Skyrme force is used everywhere in the calculation except in the proton-neutron particle-particle channel, where a finite-range force is consistently employed. In all but the heaviest nuclei, the resulting half-lives are usually shorter by factors of 2 to 5 than those of calculations that ignore the proton-neutron particle-particle interaction. The shorter half-lives alter predictions for the abundance distribution of r-process elements and for the time it takes to synthesize them.

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arXiv1997

An HFB scheme in natural orbitals

We present a formulation of the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) equations which solves the problem directly in the basis of natural orbitals. This provides a very efficient scheme which is particularly suited for large scale calculations on coordinate-space grids.

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arXiv1996

Superheavy nuclei in selfconsistent nuclear calculations

The shell structure of superheavy nuclei is investigated within various parametrizations of relativistic and nonrelativistic nuclear mean field models. The heaviest known even-even nucleus 264Hs is used as a benchmark to estimate the predictive value of the models. From that starting point, doubly magic spherical nuclei are searched in the region Z=110-140 and N=134-298. They are found at (Z=114, N=184), (Z=120, N=172), or at (Z=126, N=184), depending on the parametrization.

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