arXiv subjects

P. -G. Reinhard

Publications and source records attributed to P. -G. Reinhard.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Nuclear charge and neutron radii and nuclear matter: trend analysis

Radii of charge and neutron distributions are fundamental nuclear properties. They depend on both nuclear interaction parameters related to the equation of state of infinite nuclear matter and on quantal shell effects, which are strongly impacted by the presence of nuclear surface. In this work, by studying the dependence of charge and neutron radii, and neutron skin, on nuclear matter parameters, we assess different mechanisms that drive nuclear sizes. We apply nuclear density functional theory using a family of Skyrme functionals obtained by means of different optimization protocols targeting specific nuclear properties. By performing the Monte-Carlo sampling of reasonable functionals around the optimal parametrization, we study correlations between nuclear matter paramaters and observables characterizing charge and neutron distributions. We demonstrate the existence of the strong converse relation between the nuclear charge radii and the saturation density of symmetric nuclear matter and also between the neutron skins and the slope of the symmetry energy. For functionals optimized to experimental binding energies only, proton and neutron radii are weakly correlated due to canceling trends from different nuclear matter parameters. We show that by requiring that the nuclear functional reproduces the empirical saturation point of symmetric nuclear matter practically fixes the charge (or proton) radii, and vice versa. The neutron skin uncertainty primarily depends on the slope of the symmetry energy. Consequently, imposing a constraint on both $ρ_0$ and $L$ practically determines the nuclear size, modulo small variations due to shell effects.

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arXiv2016

Magnetic dipole excitations of $^{50}$Cr

The low-lying $M1$-strength of the open-shell nucleus $^{50}$Cr has been studied with the method of nuclear resonance fluorescence up to 9.7 MeV, using bremsstrahlung at the superconducting Darmstadt linear electron accelerator S-DALINAC and Compton backscattered photons at the High Intensity $γ$-ray Source (HI$γ$S) facility between 6 and 9.7 MeV of the initial photon energy. Fifteen $1^{+}$ states have been observed between 3.6 and 9.7 MeV. Following our analysis, the lowest $1^{+}$ state at 3.6 MeV can be considered as an isovector orbital mode with some spin admixture. The obtained results generally match the estimations and trends typical for the scissors-like mode. Detailed calculations within the Skyrme Quasiparticle Random-Phase-Approximation method and the Large-Scale Shell Model justify our conclusions. The calculated distributions of the orbital current for the lowest $1^{+}$-state suggest the schematic view of Lipparini and Stringari (isovector rotation-like oscillations inside the rigid surface) rather than the scissors-like picture of Lo Iudice and Palumbo. The spin M1 resonance is shown to be mainly generated by spin-flip transitions between the orbitals of the $fp$-shell.

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arXiv2015

Deformation-induced splitting of the monopole giant resonance in 24Mg

The strong deformation splitting of the isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR), recently observed in ($α,α'$) reaction in prolate $^{24}$Mg, is analyzed in the framework of the Skyrme quasiparticle random-phase-approximation (QRPA) approach with the Skyrme forces SkM*, SVbas and SkP$^δ$. The calculations with these forces give close results and confirm that the low-energy E0-peak is caused by the deformation-induced coupling of ISGMR with the K=0 branch of the isoscalar giant quadrupole resonance.

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arXiv2015

Dipole polarizability of 120Sn and nuclear energy density functionals

The electric dipole strength distribution in 120Sn between 5 and 22 MeV has been determined at RCNP Osaka from a polarization transfer analysis of proton inelastic scattering at E_0 = 295 MeV and forward angles including 0°. Combined with photoabsorption data an electric dipole polarizability α_D(120Sn) = 8.93(36) fm^3 is extracted. The dipole polarizability as isovector observable par excellence carries direct information on the nuclear symmetry energy and its density dependence. The correlation of the new value with the well established α_D(208Pb) serves as a test of its prediction by nuclear energy density functionals (EDFs). Models based on modern Skyrme interactions describe the data fairly well while most calculations based on relativistic Hamiltonians cannot.

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arXiv2015

Estimating the relevance of predictions from nuclear mean-field models

This contribution reviews the present status of the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock (SHF) approach as one of the leading self-consistent mean-field models in the physics of atomic nuclei. It starts with a brief summary of the formalism and strategy for proper calibration of the SHF functional. The main emphasis lies on an exploration of the reliability of predictions, particularly in the regime of extrapolations. Various strategies are discussed to explore the statistical and systematic errors of SHF. The strategies are illustrated on examples from actual applications. Variations of model and fit data are used to get an idea about systematic errors. The statistical error is evaluated in straightforward manner by statistical analysis based on $χ^2$ fits. This also allows also to evaluate the correlations (covariances) between observables which provides useful insights into the structure of the model and of the fitting strategy.

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arXiv2015

On the analysis of photo-electron spectra

We analyze Photo-Electron Spectra (PES) for a variety of excitation mechanisms from a simple mono-frequency laser pulse to involved combination of pulses as used, e.g., in attosecond experiments. In the case of simple pulses, the peaks in PES re- flect the occupied single-particle levels in combination with the given laser frequency. This usual, simple rule may badly fail in the case of excitation pulses with mixed frequencies and if resonant modes of the system are significantly excited. We thus develop an extension of the usual rule to cover all possible excitation scenarios, including mixed frequencies in the attosecond regime. We find that the spectral dis- tributions of dipole, monopole and quadrupole power for the given excitation taken together and properly shifted by the single-particle energies provide a pertinent picture of the PES in all situations. This leads to the derivation of a generalized relation allowing to understand photo-electron yields even in complex experimental setups.

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arXiv2015

Swelling of nuclei embedded in neutron-gas and consequences for fusion

Fusion of very neutron rich nuclei may be important to determine the composition and heating of the crust of accreting neutron stars. We present an exploratory study of the effect of the neutron-gas environment on the structure of nuclei and the consequences for pycnonuclear fusion cross-sections in the neutron drip region. We studied the formation and properties of Oxygen and Calcium isotopes embedded in varying neutron-gas densities. We observe that the formed isotope is the drip-line nucleus for the given effective interaction. Increasing the neutron-gas density leads to the swelling of the nuclear density. We have used these densities to study the effect of this swelling on the fusion cross-sections using the São-Paulo potential. At high neutron-gas densities the cross-section is substantially increased but at lower densities the modification is minimal.

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arXiv2015

Monopole giant resonance in $^{100-132}$Sn, $^{144}$Sm and $^{208}$Pb

The isoscalar giant monopole resonance (GMR) in spherical nuclei $^{100-132}$Sn, $^{144}$Sm, and $^{208}$Pb is investigated within the Skyrme random-phase-approximation (RPA) for a variety of Skyrme forces and different pairing options. The calculated GMR strength functions are directly compared to the available experimental distributions. It is shown that, in accordance to results of other groups, description of GMR in Sn and heavier Sm/Pb nuclei needs different values of the nuclear incompressibilty, $K \approx$ 200 or 230 MeV, respectively. Thus none from the used Skyrme forces is able to describe GMR in these nuclei simultaneously. The GMR peak energy in open-shell $^{120}$Sn is found to depend on the isoscalar effective mass, which might be partly used for a solution of the above problem. Some important aspects of the problem (discrepancies of available experimental data, proper treatment of the volume and surface compression in finite nuclei, etc) are briefly discussed.

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arXiv2015

Deformation effects in Giant Monopole Resonance

The isoscalar giant monopole resonance (GMR) in Samarium isotopes (from spherical $^{144}$Sm to deformed $^{148-154}$Sm) is investigated within the Skyrme random-phase-approximation (RPA) for a variety of Skyrme forces. The exact RPA and its separable version (SRPA) are used for spherical and deformed nuclei, respectively. The quadrupole deformation is shown to yield two effects: the GMR broadens and attains a two-peak structure due to the coupling with the quadrupole giant resonance.

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arXiv2015

Fission barriers and probabilities of spontaneous fission for elements with Z$\geq$100

This is a short review of methods and results of calculations of fission barriers and fission half-lives of even-even superheavy nuclei. An approvable agreement of the following approaches is shown and discussed: The macroscopic-microscopic approach based on the stratagem of the shell correction to the liquid drop model and a vantage point of microscopic energy density functionals of Skyrme and Gogny type selfconsistently calculated within Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov method. Mass parameters are calculated in the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov cranking approximation. A short part of the paper is devoted to the nuclear fission dynamics. We also discuss the predictive power of Skyrme functionals applied to key properties of the fission path of $^{266}$Hs. It applies the standard techniques of error estimates in the framework of a $χ^2$ analysis.

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arXiv2014

Multi-plasmon excitations in electron spectra of small systems irradiated by swift charged projectiles

We investigate the kinetic-energy spectrum of electrons emitted from an excited many-electron system, often called photo-electron spectrum (PES). We are particularly interested on the impact of resonant modes of the system on PES. To this end, we consider three systems with strong resonances, a Mg atom, the small alkaline cluster ${{\rm K}_9}^+$, and the small carbon chain C$_3$. To avoid dominant frequencies in the excitation process, we consider a collision with a fast ion which is realized by an instantaneous boost of the valence electrons, a process which excites all frequencies with equal weight. The electron dynamics is investigated from a theoretical perspective using time-dependent density-functional theory augmented by an average-density self-interaction correction. We observe patterns which are similar to PES usually obtained after irradiation by a laser pulse, in particular the appearance of clear peaks. We show that these patterns are driven by strong resonance modes of the system. Resonances are thus found to be another source of peaks in the PES, besides photons (when present) with definite frequencies.

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arXiv2014

On the dynamics of photo-electrons from C$_{60}$

We explore photo-electron spectra (PES) and photo-electron angular distributions (PAD) of C$_{60}$ with time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) in real time. To simulate experiments in gas phase, we consider isotropic ensembles of cluster orientations and perform orientation averaging of the TDDFT calculations. First, we investigate ionization properties of C$_{60}$ by one-photon processes in the range of VUV energies. The PES map the energies of the occupied single-particle states, while the weights of the peaks in PES are given by the depletion of the corresponding level. The different influences can be disentangled by looking at PES from slightly different photon frequencies. PAD in the one-photon regime can be characterized by one parameter, the anisotropy. This single parameter unfolds worthwhile information when investigating the frequency and state dependences. We also discuss the case of multi-photon ionization induced by strong infrared laser pulses in C$_{60}$. In agreement with measurements, we find that the PES show a regular comb of peaks separated by the photon energy. Our calculations reveal that this happens because only very few occupied states of C$_{60}$ near the ionization threshold contribute to emission and that these few states happen to cooperate filling the same peaks. The PAD show a steady increase of anisotropy with increasing photon order.

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arXiv2014

Appearance of the Single Gyroid Network Phase in Nuclear Pasta Matter

Nuclear matter under the conditions of a supernova explosion unfolds into a rich variety of spatially structured phases, called nuclear pasta. We investigate the role of periodic network-like structures with negatively curved interfaces in nuclear pasta structures, by static and dynamic Hartree-Fock simulations in periodic lattices. As the most prominent result, we identify for the first time the {\it single gyroid} network structure of cubic chiral $I4_123$ symmetry, a well known configuration in nanostructured soft-matter systems, both as a dynamical state and as a cooled static solution. Single gyroid structures form spontaneously in the course of the dynamical simulations. Most of them are isomeric states. The very small energy differences to the ground state indicate its relevance for structures in nuclear pasta.

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arXiv2014

Nuclear Energy Density Optimization: UNEDF2

The parameters of the UNEDF2 nuclear energy density functional (EDF) model were obtained in an optimization to experimental data consisting of nuclear binding energies, proton radii, odd-even mass staggering data, fission-isomer excitation energies, and single particle energies. In addition to parameter optimization, sensitivity analysis was done to obtain parameter uncertainties and correlations. The resulting UNEDF2 is an all-around EDF. However, the sensitivity analysis also demonstrated that the limits of current Skyrme-like EDFs have been reached and that novel approaches are called for.

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arXiv2014

Relation of E1 pygmy and toroidal resonances

A possible relation of the low-lying E1 (pygmy resonance) and toroidal strengths is analyzed by using Skyrme-RPA results for the strength functions, transition densities and current fields in $^{208}$Pb. It is shown that the irrotational pygmy motion can appear as a local manifestation of the collective vortical toroidal dipole resonance (TDR) at the nuclear surface. The RPA results are compared to unperturbed (1ph) ones.

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arXiv2014

Nuclear Pasta Matter for Different Proton Fractions

Nuclear matter under astrophysical conditions is explored with time-dependent and static Hartree-Fock calculations. The focus is in a regime of densities where matter segregates into liquid and gaseous phases unfolding a rich scenario of geometries, often called nuclear pasta shapes (e.g. spaghetti, lasagna). Particularly the appearance of the different phases depending on the proton fraction and the transition to uniform matter are investigated. In this context the neutron background density is of special interest, because it plays a crucial role for the type of pasta shape which is built. The study is performed in two dynamical ranges, one for hot matter and one at temperature zero to investigate the effect of cooling.

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arXiv2014

A quantum relaxation-time approximation for finite fermion systems

We propose a relaxation time approximation for the description of the dynamics of strongly excited fermion systems. Our approach is based on time-dependent density functional theory at the level of the local density approximation. This mean-field picture is augmented by collisional correlations handled in relaxation time approximation which is inspired from the corresponding semi-classical picture. The method involves the estimate of microscopic relaxation rates/times which is presently taken from the well established semi-classical experience. The relaxation time approximation implies evaluation of the instantaneous equilibrium state towards which the dynamical state is progressively driven at the pace of the microscopic relaxation time. As test case, we consider Na clusters of various sizes excited either by a swift ion projectile or by a short and intense laser pulse, driven in various dynamical regimes ranging from linear to strongly non-linear reactions. We observe a strong effect of dissipation on sensitive observables such as net ionization and angular distributions of emitted electrons. The effect is especially large for moderate excitations where typical relaxation/dissipation time scales efficiently compete with ionization for dissipating the available excitation energy. Technical details on the actual procedure to implement a working recipe of such a quantum relaxation approximation are given in appendices for completeness.

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arXiv2014

Error estimates for the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock model

There are many complementing strategies to estimate the extrapolation errors of a model which was calibrated in least-squares fits. We consider the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock model for nuclear structure and dynamics and exemplify the following five strategies: uncertainties from statistical analysis, covariances between observables, trends of residuals, variation of fit data, dedicated variation of model parameters. This gives useful insight into the impact of the key fit data as they are: binding energies, charge r.m.s. radii, and charge formfactor. Amongst others, we check in particular the predictive value for observables in the stable nucleus $^{208}$Pb, the super-heavy element $^{266}$Hs, $r$-process nuclei, and neutron stars.

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