arXiv subjects

W. Horiuchi

Publications and source records attributed to W. Horiuchi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Imprints of $α$ clustering in the density profiles of $^{12}$C and $^{16}$O

The $^{4}$He nucleus is a well bound and highly correlated four-nucleon system that is also found in form of $α$-clusters as substructure in nuclear many-body systems. The standard single-particle shell model cannot represent these four-body correlations. It is highly desirable to find a simple way to identify and distinguish these fundamental structures without large-scale computations. In this paper, we investigate with intrinsic Slater determinants as trial states in how far these two competing pictures prevail in the ground states of $^{12}$C and $^{16}$O. The trial states can describe both the $j$-$j$ coupling shell-model and $α$-cluster configurations in a unified way. One-body density distributions of the trial states are calculated and compared to elastic scattering cross section data. The parameters of the trial state are chosen to reproduce the experimental charge radii. A well developed cluster structure is characterized by an enhancement of the differential elastic scattering cross sections, as well as the elastic charge form factors around the first peak positions. The density profiles of the internal regions can also be probed at higher momentum transfer regions beyond the second minimum. With these trial states one can visualize the competition between cluster and shell structure in an intuitive and simple way.

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arXiv2022

Microscopic study of the deformed neutron halo of 31Ne

The properties of the deformed halo of 31Ne were discussed using the antisymmetrized molecular dynamics plus resonating group method (AMD+RGM). The AMD+RGM calculations describe a large neutron radius for the ground state and reveal that the ground state is dominated by core-excited components. The resonant states were also investigated by applying the analytical continuation of the coupling constant. It was found that the first excited state (the 5/2- state) is also dominated by core-excited components and has a small decay width, whereas the second excited state (the 7/2- state) is dominated by the valence neutron in the $f$-wave coupled to the ground state of 30Ne.

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arXiv2022

Density profiles near nuclear surface of $^{44,52}$Ti: An indication of $α$ clustering

We investigate the degree of $α$ ($^4$He nucleus) clustering in the ground-state density profiles of $^{44}$Ti and $^{52}$Ti. Two types of density distributions, shell- and cluster-model configurations, are generated fully microscopically with the antisymmetrized quasi-cluster model, which can describe both the j-j coupling shell and $α$-cluster configurations in a single scheme. Despite both the models reproducing measured charge radius data, we found that the $α$ clustering significantly diffuses the density profiles near the nuclear surface compared to the ideal j-j coupling shell model configuration. The effect is most significant for $^{44}$Ti, while it is less for $^{52}$Ti due to the occupation of the $0f_{7/2}$ orbits in the $^{48}$Ca core. This difference can be detected by measuring proton-nucleus elastic scattering or the total reaction cross section on a carbon target at intermediate energies.

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arXiv2022

Proton distribution radii of $^{16-24}$O: signatures of new shell closures and neutron skin

The root mean square radii of the proton density distribution in $^{16-24}$O derived from measurements of charge changing cross sections with a carbon target at $\sim$900$A$ MeV together with the matter radii portray thick neutron skin for $^{22 - 24}$O despite $^{22,24}$O being doubly magic. Imprints of the shell closures at $N$ = 14 and 16 are reflected in local minima of their proton radii that provide evidence for the tensor interaction causing them. The radii agree with it ab initio calculations employing the chiral NNLO$_{\mathrm{sat}}$ interaction, though skin thickness predictions are challenged. Shell model predictions agree well with the data.

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arXiv2022

Pairing core swelling effect in Pb isotopes at $N>126$

We revisit a sudden increase of the isotope shift of the charge radius of Pb isotope at $N>126$ based on a Skyrme Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov theory. New parametrizations of the pairing interaction optimized for selected four Skyrme interactions greatly improve a description of this phenomenon. The density-dependent spin-orbit interaction is also investigated and further increases the charge radius. The pairing correlations significantly change the properties of the neutron orbits near the Fermi level and play a vital role in pulling out the well-bound protons in the Pb isotopes at $N>126$. Regarding $^{208}$Pb as a "core" nucleus, a novel pairing core swelling effect is proposed: The pairing interaction reduces the radius of "valence" neutron orbits by the shrinkage of diffused $1g_{9/2}$ orbit and the mixing of sharp $0i_{11/2}$ orbit. Simultaneously, the core nucleus swells, leading to the sudden enhancement of the charge radius at $N > 126$. This characteristic behavior appears in the density profile near the nuclear surface and its measurement is highly desirable.

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arXiv2022

Possible halo structure of $^{62,72}$Ca by forbidden-state-free locally peaked Gaussians

In order to efficiently describe nucleon orbits around a heavy core nucleus, we propose locally peaked Gaussians orthogonalized to the occupied bound states in the core. We show the advantage of those functions in both numerical stability and fast convergence by taking examples of touchstone calcium isotopes $^{62,72}$Ca in $^{60,70}{\rm Ca}+n+n$ three-body models. Both weakly bound configurations and continuum coupling effect are taken into account. We evaluate the neutron radii and the occupation probabilities of two-neutron configurations not only for the ground state but also for some particle-bound excited states by varying the strength of the core-neutron interaction. The emergence of the halo structure in the ground state depends on the energy difference between $2s_{1/2}$ and $0g_{9/2}$ orbits. Two-neutron [consisting of $(s_{1/2})^2$ configuration] and one-neutron [consisting of $(g_{9/2}s_{1/2})$ configuration] halo structure of $^{62}$Ca can coexist in narrow energy spacing provided that both of $2s_{1/2}$ and $0g_{9/2}$ orbits are almost degenerate and barely bound. The ground-state structure of $^{72}$Ca is likely to be a two-neutron halo, although its emergence depends on the position of the $2s_{1/2}$ level.

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arXiv2022

Erosion of N = 28 shell closure: Shape coexistence and monopole transition

Background: In neutron-rich nuclei neighboring 42Si, the quenching of the N = 28 shell gap occurs and is expected to induce the shape coexistence in their excitation spectra. Purpose: We show that different nuclear shapes coexist in N = 28 isotones 40Mg, 42Si, and 44S, and investigate observables to probe it. Method: Antisymmetrized molecular dynamics with Gogny D1S density functional is applied to describe the shape coexistence phenomena without ad hoc assumption of the nuclear shape. Results: We find that rigid shapes with different deformations coexist in the ground and the first excited 0+ states of 40Mg and 42Si, while in 44S the states exhibit large-amplitude collective motion, which does not have any particular shape. These characteristics are reflected well in the monopole transition strengths. Conclusion: The quenching of the N = 28 shell gap leads to the unique shape coexistence in the N = 28 isotones, which can be probed by the monopole transition strengths.

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arXiv2022

Large enhancement of total reaction cross sections at the edge of the island of inversion in Ti, Cr, and Fe isotopes

A systematic analysis of nuclear deformation is made for neutron-rich Ti, Cr, and Fe isotopes to explore the nuclear structure in the island of inversion near N = 40, where strong nuclear deformation is predicted. The nuclear ground states are obtained by the Skyrme Hartree-Fock method in three-dimensional coordinate space, which properly describes any nuclear shape. Three types of Skyrme interactions are employed to generate various deformed states in its isotopic chain. We find that in the island of inversion the occupation of highly elongated intruder orbits induces not only large quadrupole deformation but also large hexadecapole deformation. This appears as a sizable enhancement of the nuclear matter radius, showing the characteristic shell effect of the density profile near the nuclear surface. We show that the edge of the island of inversion, where the intruder orbit starts being occupied, can be determined by measuring the enhancement of the total reaction cross section at high incident energy. The possibility of constraining the hexadecapole deformation by a measurement of the total reaction cross sections is discussed.

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arXiv2021

Structure of two- and three-alpha systems in cold neutron matter

We present stability and structure of two- and three-alpha systems embedded in dilute cold neutron matter. By solving a few-alpha Schrödinger equation with quasiparticle properties, i.e., effective mass and induced two- and three-alpha interactions, which are evaluated in terms of Fermi polarons, it is shown that $^8 \mathrm{Be}$ and the Hoyle state become bound at densities of about $10^{-4}$ and $10^{-3}$ of the saturation density, respectively. It is also seen that, under cold neutron matter environment, both systems become smaller than the corresponding systems in vacuum. Our results would affect astrophysical models for stellar collapse and neutron star mergers, as well as relevant reaction rates for nucleosynthesis.

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arXiv2021

Enormous nuclear surface diffuseness in the exotic Ne and Mg isotopes

The density profile of exotic nuclei can be a rich source of information on the nuclear surface. In particular, the nuclear surface diffuseness parameter is correlated with the occupation probability of nucleons indistinct nuclear orbits, especially those with low angular momenta. The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the nuclear surface diffuseness and spectroscopic information of neutron rich Ne and Mg isotopes both at the cusp and inside the island of inversion. We use the microscopic antisymmetrized molecular dynamics model to calculate these densities and other spectroscopic information. A two-parameter Fermi density distribution is then used to define the diffuseness parameter. To relate them with observables, the nucleon-nucleus elastic scattering differential cross section is calculated with the demand that they reproduce the first peak position and its magnitude. A marked increase in the occupation of neutrons in the pf-orbit is noted in Ne and Mg isotopes from N=19 onwards. We observed that the nuclear diffuseness is strongly correlated with the nuclear deformation, in the island of inversion, and gradually increases with the occupation of neutrons in the 1p3/2 orbit. This result is also confirmed by a single-particle estimate of the valence neutron density distribution. An exception is noted for 35-37Mg, where the filling up of the holes in the sd-shell partially compensates the increase in diffuseness due to filling up of the 1p3/2 orbit. Information on nuclear density profile of neutron rich medium mass nuclei can be reliably extracted by studying the first diffraction peak of the nucleon-nucleus elastic scattering differential cross section. The enormous surface diffuseness of Ne and Mg isotopes, in the island of inversion, could be attributed to the increasing neutron occupation of the 1p3/2 orbit.

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arXiv2021

Binding two and three $α$ particles in cold neutron matter

We elucidate the fate of neighboring two and three-$α$ particles in cold neutron matter by focusing on an analogy between such $α$ systems and Fermi polarons realized in ultracold atoms. We describe in-medium excitation properties of an $α$ particle and neutron-mediated two- and three-$α$ interactions using theoretical approaches developed for studies of cold atomic systems. We numerically solve the few-body Schrödinger equation of $α$ particles within standard $α$ cluster models combined with in-medium properties of $α$ particles. We point out that the resultant two-$α$ ground state and three-$α$ first excited state, which correspond to $^8$Be and the Hoyle state, respectively, known as main components in the triple-$α$ reaction, can become bound states in such a many-neutron background although these states are unstable in vacuum. Our results suggest a significance of these in-medium cluster states not only in astrophysical environments such as core-collapsed supernova explosions and neutron star mergers but also in neutron-rich nuclei.

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arXiv2021

Three-$α$ configurations in the $0^{+}$ states of $^{12}\mathrm{C}$

Geometric configurations of three-$α$ particles in the ground- and first-excited $J^π=0^+$ states of $^{12}$C are discussed within two types of $α$-cluster models which treat the Pauli principle differently. Though there are some quantitative differences especially in the internal region of the wave functions, equilateral triangle configurations are dominant in the ground state, while in the first excited $0^+$ state isosceles triangle configurations dominate, originating from $^8{\rm Be}+α$ configurations.

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arXiv2021

Coulomb screening effect on the Hoyle state energy in thermal plasmas

The first excited $J^π=0^+$ state of $^{12}$C, the so-called Hoyle state, plays an essential role in a triple-$α$ ($^4$He) reaction, which is a main contributor to the synthesis of $^{12}$C in a burning star. We investigate the Coulomb screening effects on the energy shift of the Hoyle state in a thermal plasma environment using precise three-$α$ model calculations. The Coulomb screening effect between $α$ clusters are taken into account within the Debye-Hückel approximation. To generalize our study, we utilize two standard $α$-cluster models, which treat the Pauli principle between the $α$ particles differently. We find that the energy shifts do not depend on these models and follow a simple estimation in the zero-size limit of the Hoyle state when the Coulomb screening length is as large as a value typical of such a plasma consisting of electrons and $α$ particles.

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arXiv2021

Beta-decay formulas revisited (I): Gamow--Teller and spin-dipole contributions to allowed and first-forbidden transitions

We propose formulas of the nuclear beta-decay rate that are useful in a practical calculation. The decay rate is determined by the product of the lepton and hadron current densities. A widely used formula relies upon the fact that the low-energy lepton wave functions in a nucleus can be well approximated by a constant and linear to the radius for the $s$-wave and $p$-wave wave functions, respectively. We find, however, the deviation from such a simple approximation is evident for heavy nuclei with large $Z$ by numerically solving the Dirac equation. In our proposed formulas, the neutrino wave function is treated exactly as a plane wave, while the electron wave function is obtained by iteratively solving the integral equation, thus we can control the uncertainty of the approximate wave function. The leading-order approximation gives a formula equivalent to the conventional one and overestimates the decay rate. We demonstrate that the next-to-leading-order formula reproduces well the exact result for a schematic transition density as well as a microscopic one obtained by a nuclear energy-density functional method.

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arXiv2020

Electric dipole response of low-lying excitations in the two-neutron halo nucleus $\boldsymbol{^{29}}$F

The neutron-rich $^{28,29}$F isotopes have been recently studied via knockout and interaction cross-section measurements. The $2n$ halo in $^{29}$F has been linked to the occupancy of $pf$ intruder configurations. We investigate bound and continuum states in $^{29}$F, focusing on the $E1$ response of low-lying excitations and the effect of dipole couplings on nuclear reactions. $^{29}\text{F}$ ($^{27}\text{F}+n+n$) wave functions are built within the hyperspherical harmonics formalism, and reaction cross sections are calculated using the Glauber theory. Continuum states and $B(E1)$ transition probabilities are described in a pseudostate approach using the analytical THO basis. The corresponding structure form factors are used in CDCC calculations to describe low-energy scattering. Parity inversion in $^{28}$F leads to a $^{29}$F ground state characterized by 57.5% of $(p_{3/2})^2$ intruder components, a strong dineutron configuration, and an increase of the matter radius with respect to the core radius of $ΔR=0.20$ fm. Glauber-model calculations for a carbon target at 240 MeV/nucleon provide a total reaction cross section of 1370 mb, in agreement with recent data. The model produces also a barely bound excited state corresponding to a quadrupole excitation. $B(E1)$ calculations into the continuum yield a total strength of 1.59 e$^2$fm$^2$ up to 6 MeV, and the $E1$ distribution exhibits a resonance at $\approx$ 0.85 MeV. Results using a standard shell-model order for $^{28}$F lead to a considerable reduction of the $B(E1)$ distribution. The four-body CDCC calculations for $^{29}\text{F}+^{120}\text{Sn}$ around the Coulomb barrier are dominated by dipole couplings, which totally cancel the Fresnel peak in the elastic cross section. These results are consistent with a two-neutron halo and may guide future experimental campaigns.

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arXiv2020

Total reaction cross section on a deuteron target and the eclipse effect of the constituent neutron and proton

Background: Eclipse effect of the neutron and proton in a deuteron target is essential to correctly describe high-energy deuteron scattering. The nucleus-deuteron scattering needs information not only on the nucleus-proton but also the nucleus-neutron interaction, for which no direct measurement of the nucleus-neutron cross sections is available for unstable nuclei. Purpose: We systematically evaluated the total reaction cross sections by a deuteron target to explore the feasibility of extracting the nucleus-neutron interaction from measurable cross sections. Methods: High-energy nucleus-deuteron collision is described by the Glauber model, in which the proton and neutron configuration of the deuteron is explicitly taken into account. Results: Our calculation reproduces available experimental total reaction cross section data on the nucleus-deuteron scattering. The possibility of extracting the nucleus-neutron total reaction cross section from nucleus-deuteron and nucleus-proton total reaction cross sections is explored. The total reaction cross sections of a nucleus by proton, neutron, and deuteron targets can be expressed, to good accuracy, in terms of the nuclear matter radius and neutron skin thickness. Incident-energy dependence of the total reaction cross sections is examined. Conclusions: The total reaction cross section on a deuteron target includes information on both the nucleus-neutron and nucleus-proton profile functions. Measuring the cross sections by deuteron and proton targets is a promising tool to extract the nuclear size properties.

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arXiv2020

Imprint of nuclear bubble in nucleon-nucleus diffraction

Background: The density of most nuclei is constant in the central region and is smoothly decreasing at the surface. A depletion in the central part of the nuclear density can have nuclear structure effects leading to the formation of "bubble" nuclei. However, probing the density profile of the nuclear interior is, in general, very challenging. Purpose: The aim of this paper is to investigate the nuclear bubble structure, with nucleon-nucleus scattering, and quantify the effect that has on the nuclear surface profile. Method: We employed high-energy nucleon-nucleus scattering under the aegis of the Glauber model to analyze various reaction observables, which helps in quantifying the nuclear bubble. The effectiveness of this method is tested on $^{28}$Si with harmonic-oscillator (HO) densities, before applying it on even-even $N = 14$ isotones, in the $22 \leq A \leq 34$ mass range, with realistic densities obtained from antisymmetrized molecular dynamics (AMD). Results: Elastic scattering differential cross sections and reaction probability for the proton-$^{28}$Si reaction are calculated using the HO density to design tests for signatures of nuclear bubble structure. We then quantify the degree of bubble structure for $N = 14$ isotones with the AMD densities by analyzing their elastic scattering at 325, 550 and 800 MeV incident energies. The present analyses suggest $^{22}$O as a candidate for a bubble nucleus, among even-even $N = 14$ isotones, in the $22 \leq A \leq 34$ mass range. Conclusion: We have shown that the bubble structure information is imprinted on the nucleon-nucleus elastic scattering differential cross section, especially in the first diffraction peak. Bubble nuclei tend to have a sharper nuclear surface and deformation seems to be a hindrance in their emergence.

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arXiv2020

Utility of antiproton-nucleus scattering for probing nuclear surface density distributions

Antiproton-nucleon ($\bar{p}N$) total cross sections are typically 3-4 times larger than the $NN$ ones at incident energies from a few hundreds to thousands MeV. We investigate antiproton-nucleus scattering as it could work as a probe of the nuclear structure giving the sensitivity differently from a proton probe. High-energy antiproton-nucleus reactions are reasonably described by the Glauber model with a minimal profile function that reproduces the $\bar{p}N$ and $\bar{p}$-$^{12}$C cross section data. In contrast to the proton-nucleus scattering, we find that the complete absorption occurs even beyond the nuclear radius due to the large $\bar{p}N$ elementary cross sections, which shows stronger sensitivity to the nuclear density distribution in the tail region. This sensitivity is quantified in the total reaction cross sections with various density profiles for future measurement including neutron-rich unstable nuclei.

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