arXiv subjects

V. Baran

Publications and source records attributed to V. Baran.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

The isoscalar features of Pygmy Dipole Resonance: a subtle game of symmetry energy

The vibrational structure of the Pygmy Dipole Resonance (PDR) is investigated within a quantum many-body treatment with extended separable interactions able to encode the dependence of nuclear symmetry energy on density. A new picture of PDR is unveiled in terms of a combined dynamics of the neutron skin and of the core isovector polarization, which determines the isoscalar features of PDR while reproducing the isovector properties of Giant Dipole Resonance. The key role played by the variation with density of the symmetry energy on shaping the low-lying dipole response and its isoscalar-isovector structure is underlined. Our results provide insights for the challenge of clarifying the transition from skin oscillation to a highly bulk collective dynamics.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2016

Pre-equilibrium effects in charge-asymmetric low-energy reactions

We study the pre-equilibrium dipole response in the charge-asymmetric reaction $^{132}$Sn+$^{58}$Ni at $E_{lab}=10$ MeV/A, within a semi-classical transport model employing effective interactions for the nuclear mean-field. In particular, we adopt the recently introduced SAMi-J Skyrme interactions, whose parameters are specifically tuned to improve the description of spin-isospin properties of nuclei. Within the same framework, we also discuss pre-equilibrium nucleon emission. Our results show that both mechanisms, i.e., pre-equilibrium dipole oscillations and nucleon emission, are sensitive to the symmetry energy below the saturation density $ρ_0$ (in the range $0.6ρ_0-ρ_0$), to the effective mass and to the nucleon-nucleon cross section. Finally, a covariant analysis is applied to study the correlations between the model parameters and observables of experimental interest.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2016

Mean-field instabilities and cluster formation in nuclear reactions

We review recent results on intermediate mass cluster production in heavy ion collisions at Fermi energy and in spallation reactions. Our studies are based on modern transport theories, employing effective interactions for the nuclear mean-field and incorporating two-body correlations and fluctuations. Namely we will consider the Stochastic Mean Field (SMF) approach and the recently developed Boltzmann-Langevin One Body (BLOB) model. We focus on cluster production emerging from the possible occurrence of low-density mean-field instabilities in heavy ion reactions. Within such a framework, the respective role of one and two-body effects, in the two models considered, will be carefully analysed. We will discuss, in particular, fragment production in central and semi-peripheral heavy ion collisions, which is the object of many recent experimental investigations. Moreover, in the context of spallation reactions, we will show how thermal expansion may trigger the development of mean-field instabilities, leading to a cluster formation process which competes with important re-aggregation effects.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2016

Single crystal growth of CeTAl$_3$ (T = Cu, Ag, Au, Pd and Pt)

We report single crystal growth of the series of CeTAl$_3$ compounds with T = Cu, Ag, Au, Pd and Pt by means of optical float zoning. High crystalline quality was confirmed in a thorough characterization process. With the exception of CeAgAl$_3$, all compounds crystallize in the non-centrosymmetric tetragonal BaNiSn$_{3}$ structure (space group: I4mm, No. 107), whereas CeAgAl$_3$ adopts the related orthorhombic PbSbO$_2$Cl structure (Cmcm, No. 63). An attempt to grow CeNiAl$_3$ resulted in the composition CeNi$_2$Al$_5$. Low temperature resistivity measurements down to $\sim$0.1K did not reveal evidence suggestive of magnetic order in CePtAl$_3$ and CePdAl$_3$. In contrast, CeAuAl$_3$, CeCuAl$_3$ and CeAgAl$_3$ display signatures of magnetic transitions at 1.3K, 2.1K and 3.2K, respectively. This is consistent with previous reports of antiferromagnetic order in CeAuAl$_3$, and CeCuAl$_3$ as well as ferromagnetism in CeAgAl$_3$, respectively.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Dipole response in neutron-rich nuclei with new Skyrme interactions

We investigate the isoscalar and isovector E1 response of neutron-rich nuclei, within a semi-classical transport model employing effective interactions for the nuclear mean-field. In particular, we adopt the recently introduced SAMi-J Skyrme interactions, whose parameters are specifically tuned to improve the description of spin-isospin properties of nuclei. Our analysis evidences a relevant degree of isoscalar/isovector mixing of the collective excitations developing in neutron-rich systems. Focusing on the low-lying strength emerging in the isovector response, we show that this energy region essentially corresponds to the excitation of isoscalar-like modes, which also contribute to the isovector response owing to their mixed character. Considering effective interactions which mostly differ in the isovector channels, we observe that these mixing effects increase with the slope L of the symmetry energy at saturation density, leading to a larger strength in the low-energy region of the isovector response. This result appears connected to the increase, with L, of the neutron/proton asymmetry at the surface of the considered nuclei, i.e., to the extension of the neutron skin.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2015

Effects of symmetry energy and momentum dependent interaction on low-energy reaction mechanisms

We study the dipole response associated with the Pygmy Dipole Resonance (PDR) and the Isovector Giant Dipole Resonance (IVGDR), in connection with specific properties of the nuclear effective interaction (symmetry energy and momentum dependence), in the neutron-rich systems $^{68}$Ni, $^{132}$Sn and $^{208}$Pb. We perform our investigation within a microscopic transport model based on the Landau-Vlasov kinetic equation. We observe that the peak energies of PDR and IVGDR are shifted to higher values when employing momentum dependent interactions, with respect to the results obtained neglecting momentum dependence. The calculated energies are close to the experimental values and similar to the results obtained in Hartree-Fock (HF) with Random Phase Approximation (RPA) calculations.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2015

N-Block Separable Random Phase Approximation: Application to metal clusters and C60 fullerene

Starting from the Random Phase Approximation (RPA), we generalize the schematic model of separable interaction defning subspaces of ph excitations with different coupling constants between them. This ansatz simplifies the RPA eigenvalue problem to a finite, small dimensional system of equations which reduces the numerical effort. Associated dispersion relation and the normalization condition are derived for the new defined unknowns of the system. In contrast with the standard separable approach, the present formalism is able to describe more than one collective excitation even in the degenerate limit. The theoretical framework is applied to neutral and singly charged spherical sodium clusters and C60 fullerene with results in good agreement with full RPA calculations and experimental data.

physics.atm-clus↗

arXiv2014

On the collectivity of Pygmy Dipole Resonance within schematic TDA and RPA models

Within schematic models based on the Tamm-Dancoff Approximation and the Random-Phase Approximation with separable interactions, we investigate the physical conditions which determine the emergence of the Pygmy Dipole Resonance in the E1 response of atomic nuclei. We find that if some particle-hole excitation manifests a different, weaker residual interaction, an additional mode will appear, with an energy centroid closer to the distance between two major shells and therefore well below the Giant Dipole Resonance. This state, together with Giant Dipole Resonance, exhausts all the transition strength in the Tamm-Dancoff Approximation and all the Energy Weighted Sum Rule in the Random-Phase Approximation. Thus, within our scheme, this mode, which could be associated with the Pygmy Dipole Resonance, is of collective nature. By relating the coupling constants appearing in the separable interaction to the symmetry energy value at and below saturation density we explore the role of the density dependence of the symmetry energy on the low energy dipole response.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2014

Optical response of C60 fullerene from a Time Dependent Thomas Fermi approach

We study the collective electron dynamics in C60 clusters within the Time Dependent Thomas Fermi method in the frame of jellium model. The results regarding the optical spectrum are in good agreement with the experimental data, our simulations being able to reproduce both resonances from 20eV and 40eV . We compare also, the results with those from other theoretical approaches and investigate the implications of quantum effects including exchange-correlation corrections, or gradient corrections from a Weizsacker term. The nature of the second resonance is studied using transition densities and analysing the probability current amplitudes.

physics.atm-clus↗

arXiv2014

Exotic break-up modes in heavy ion reactions at low energies

New reaction mechanisms occurring in heavy ion collisions at low energy (10- 30 MeV/A) are investigated within the Stochastic Mean Field model. We concentrate on the analysis of ternary breakup events, of dynamical origin, occurring in semi-central reactions, where the formation of excited systems in various conditions of shape and angular momentum is observed. We show how this fragmentation mode, which can be considered as a precursor of the neck emission observed at higher beam energies, emerges from the combined action of surface (neck) instabilities and angular momentum effects. Interesting perspectives are opening towards the investigation of this mechanism in neutron-rich (or exotic) systems, with the possibility to access information on the low-density behavior of the nuclear symmetry energy.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2014

Nuclear collective dynamics within Vlasov approach

We discuss, in an investigation based on Vlasov equation, the properties of the isovector modes in nuclear matter and atomic nuclei in relation with the symmetry energy. We obtain numerically the dipole response and determine the strength function for various systems, including a chain of Sn isotopes. We consider for the symmetry energy three parametrizations with density providing similar values at saturation but which manifest very different slopes around this point. In this way we can explore how the slope affects the collective response of finite nuclear systems. We focus first on the dipole polarizability and show that while the model is able to describe the expected mass dependence, A^{5/3}, it also demonstrates that this quantity is sensitive to the slope parameter of the symmetry energy. Then, by considering the Sn isotopic chain, we investigate the emergence of a collective mode, the Pygmy Dipole Resonance (PDR), when the number of neutrons in excess increases. We show that the total energy-weighted sum rule exhausted by this mode has a linear dependence with the square of isospin I=(N-Z)/A, again sensitive to the slope of the symmetry energy with density. Therefore the polarization effects in the isovector density have to play an important role in the dynamics of PDR. These results provide additional hints in the investigations aiming to extract the properties of symmetry energy below saturation.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2014

Connecting the Pygmy Dipole Resonance to the neutron skin

We study the correlation between the neutron skin development and the low-energy dipole response associated with the pygmy dipole resonance (PDR) in connection with the properties of symmetry energy. We perform our investigation within a microscopic transport model based on the Landau-Vlasov kinetic equation by employing three different equations of state in the isovector sector. Together with the giant dipole resonance (GDR) for all studied systems, we identify a PDR collective mode whose energy centroid is very well described by the parametrization E_{PDR}=41 A^{-1/3}. A linear correlation between the energy weighted sum rule (EWSR) associated to PDR and the neutron skin thickness is evidenced. An increase of 15 MeVfm^2 of EWSR, in correspondence to a change of 0.1fm of the neutron skin size, is obtained. We conjecture that different nuclei having close neutron skin sizes will exhaust the same EWSR in the pygmy region. This suggests that a precise experimental estimate of the total EWSR exhausted by the PDR allows the determination of the neutron skin size, constraining the slope parameter of the symmetry energy.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2014

General static polarizability in spherical neutral metal clusters and fullerenes within Thomas-Fermi theory

We study the static linear response in spherical Thomas-Fermi systems deriving a simple diferen- tial equation for general multipolar moments and associated polarizabilities. We test the equation on sodium clusters between 20 and 100 atoms and on fullerenes between C60 and C240 and propose it for general Thomas-Fermi systems. Our simple method provides results which deviates from experimental data with less then 15%.

physics.atm-clus↗

arXiv2012

Correlations between isospin dynamics and Intermediate Mass Fragments emission time scales: a probe for the symmetry energy in asymmetric nuclear matter

We show new data from the $^{64}$Ni+$^{124}$Sn and $^{58}$Ni+$^{112}$Sn reactions studied in direct kinematics with the CHIMERA detector at INFN-LNS and compared with the reverse kinematics reactions at the same incident beam energy (35 A MeV). Analyzing the data with the method of relative velocity correlations, fragments coming from statistical decay of an excited projectile-like (PLF) or target-like (TLF) fragments are discriminated from the ones coming from dynamical emission in the early stages of the reaction. By comparing data of the reverse kinematics experiment with a stochastic mean field (SMF) + GEMINI calculations our results show that observables from neck fragmentation mechanism add valuable constraints on the density dependence of symmetry energy. An indication is found for a moderately stiff symmetry energy potential term of EOS.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2012

The ASY-EOS experiment at GSI: investigating the symmetry energy at supra-saturation densities

The elliptic-flow ratio of neutrons with respect to protons in reactions of neutron rich heavy-ions systems at intermediate energies has been proposed as an observable sensitive to the strength of the symmetry term in the nuclear Equation Of State (EOS) at supra-saturation densities. The recent results obtained from the existing FOPI/LAND data for $^{197}$Au+$^{197}$Au collisions at 400 MeV/nucleon in comparison with the UrQMD model allowed a first estimate of the symmetry term of the EOS but suffer from a considerable statistical uncertainty. In order to obtain an improved data set for Au+Au collisions and to extend the study to other systems, a new experiment was carried out at the GSI laboratory by the ASY-EOS collaboration in May 2011.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2012

Reaction mechanisms in transport theories: a test of the nuclear effective interaction

We review recent results concerning collective excitations in neutron-rich systems and reactions between charge asymmetric systems at Fermi energies. Solving numerically self-consistent transport equations for neutrons and protons with specific initial conditions, we explore the structure of the different dipole vibrations in the $^{132}Sn$ system and investigate their dependence on the symmetry energy. We evidence the existence of a distinctive collective mode, that can be associated with the Pygmy Dipole Resonance, with an energy well below the standard Giant Dipole Resonance and isoscalar-like character, i.e. very weakly dependent on the isovector part of the nuclear effective interaction. At variance, the corresponding strength is rather sensitive to the behavior of the symmetry energy below saturation, which rules the number of excess neutrons in the nuclear surface. In reactions between charge asymmetric systems at Fermi energies, we investigate the interplay between dissipation mechanisms and isospin effects. Observables sensitive to the isospin dependent part of nuclear interaction are discussed, providing information on the symmetry energy density dependence below saturation.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2012

Correlations between emission timescale of fragments and isospin dynamics in $^{124}$Sn+$^{64}$Ni and $^{112}$Sn+$^{58}$Ni reactions at 35 AMeV

We present a new experimental method to correlate the isotopic composition of intermediate mass fragments (IMF) emitted at mid-rapidity in semi-peripheral collisions with the emission timescale: IMFs emitted in the early stage of the reaction show larger values of $<$N/Z$>$ isospin asymmetry, stronger angular anisotropies and reduced odd-even staggering effects in neutron to proton ratio $<$N/Z$>$ distributions than those produced in sequential statistical emission. All these effects support the concept of isospin "migration", that is sensitive to the density gradient between participant and quasi-spectator nuclear matter, in the so called neck fragmentation mechanism. By comparing the data to a Stochastic Mean Field (SMF) simulation we show that this method gives valuable constraints on the symmetry energy term of nuclear equation of state at subsaturation densities. An indication emerges for a linear density dependence of the symmetry energy.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2012

Pygmy dipole resonance: collective features and symmetry energy effects

A very important open question related to the pygmy dipole resonance is about its quite elusive collective nature. In this paper, within a harmonic oscillator shell model, generalizing an approach introduced by Brink, we first identify the dipole normal modes in neutron rich nuclei and derive the energy weighted sum rule exhausted by the pygmy dipole resonance. Then solving numerically the self-consistent Landau-Vlasov kinetic equations for neutrons and protons with specific initial conditions, we explore the structure of the different dipole vibrations in the $^{132}Sn$ system and investigate their dependence on the symmetry energy. We evidence the existence of a distinctive collective isoscalar-like mode with an energy well below the Giant Dipole Resonance (GDR), very weakly dependent on the isovector part of the nuclear effective interaction. At variance the corresponding strength is rather sensitive to the behavior of the symmetry energy below saturation, which rules the number of excess neutrons in the nuclear surface.

nucl-th↗