Surface properties of neutron-rich exotic nuclei: A source for studying the nuclear symmetry energy

We study the correlation between the thickness of the neutron skin in finite nuclei and the nuclear symmetry energy for isotopic chains of even-even Ni, Sn, and Pb nuclei in the framework of the deformed self-consistent mean-field Skyrme HF+BCS method. The symmetry energy, the neutron pressure and the asymmetric compressibility in finite nuclei are calculated within the coherent density fluctuation model using the symmetry energy as a function of density within the Brueckner energy-density functional. The mass dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy and the neutron skin thickness are also studied together with the role of the neutron-proton asymmetry. A correlation between the parameters of the equation of state (symmetry energy and its density slope) and the neutron skin is suggested in the isotopic chains of Ni, Sn, and Pb nuclei.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Scaling Functions and Superscaling in Medium and Heavy Nuclei

The scaling function $f(\psi')$ for medium and heavy nuclei with $Z\neq N$ for which the proton and neutron densities are not similar is constructed within the coherent density fluctuation model (CDFM) as a sum of the proton and neutron scaling functions. The latter are calculated in the cases of $^{62}$Ni, $^{82}$Kr, $^{118}$Sn, and $^{197}$Au nuclei on the basis of the corresponding proton and neutron density distributions which are obtained in deformed self-consistent mean-field Skyrme HF+BCS method. The results are in a reasonable agreement with the empirical data from the inclusive electron scattering from nuclei showing superscaling for negative values of $\psi'$, including those smaller than -1. This is an improvement over the relativistic Fermi gas (RFG) model predictions where $f(\psi')$ becomes abruptly zero for $\psi'\leq -1$. It is also an improvement over the CDFM calculations made in the past for nuclei with $Z\neq N$ assuming that the neutron density is equal to the proton one and using only the phenomenological charge density.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, ReVTeX, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Symmetry energy of deformed neutron-rich nuclei

The symmetry energy, the neutron pressure and the asymmetric compressibility of deformed neutron-rich even-even nuclei are calculated on the examples of Kr and Sm isotopes within the coherent density fluctuation model using the symmetry energy as a function of density within the Brueckner energy-density functional. The correlation between the thickness of the neutron skin and the characteristics related with the density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy is investigated for isotopic chains of these nuclei in the framework of the self-consistent Skyrme-Hartree-Fock plus BCS method. Results for an extended chain of Pb isotopes are also presented. A remarkable difference is found in the trend followed by the different isotopic chains: the studied correlations reveal a smoother behavior in the Pb case than in the other cases. We also notice that the neutron skin thickness obtained for $^{208}$Pb with SLy4 force is found to be in a good agreement with recent data.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Physical Review

Superscaling in Nuclei: A Search for Scaling Function Beyond the Relativistic Fermi Gas Model

We construct a scaling function $f(\psi^{\prime})$ for inclusive electron scattering from nuclei within the Coherent Density Fluctuation Model (CDFM). The latter is a natural extension to finite nuclei of the Relativistic Fermi Gas (RFG) model within which the scaling variable $\psi^{\prime}$ was introduced by Donnelly and collaborators. The calculations show that the high-momentum components of the nucleon momentum distribution in the CDFM and their similarity for different nuclei lead to quantitative description of the superscaling in nuclei. The results are in good agreement with the experimental data for different transfer momenta showing superscaling for negative values of $\psi^{\prime}$, including those smaller than -1.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, submitted for publication to Phys. Rev.

Confinement in the Abelian-Higgs-type theories: string picture and field correlators

Field correlators and the string representation are used as two complementary approaches for the description of confinement in the SU(N)-inspired dual Abelian-Higgs-type model. In the London limit of the simplest, SU(2)-inspired, model, bilocal electric field-strength correlators have been derived with accounting for the contributions to these averages produced by closed dual strings. The Debye screening in the plasma of such strings yields a novel long-range interaction between points lying on the contour of the Wilson loop. This interaction generates a Luescher-type term, even when one restrics oneself to the minimal surface, as it is usually done in the bilocal approximation to the stochastic vacuum model. Beyond the London limit, it has been shown that a modified interaction appears, which becomes reduced to the standard Yukawa one in the London limit. Finally, a string representation of the SU(N)-inspired model with the theta-term, in the London limit, can be constructed.Comment: 17 pages, no figures, REVTeX 4; Invited contribution to the collection of articles devoted to the 70th birthday of Yu.A. Simono

Superscaling and Neutral Current Quasielastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering beyond the Relativistic Fermi Gas Model

The superscaling analysis is extended to include quasielastic (QE) scattering via the weak neutral current of neutrinos and antineutrinos from nuclei. The scaling function obtained within the coherent density fluctuation model (used previously in calculations of QE inclusive electron and charge-changing (CC) neutrino scattering) is applied to neutral current neutrino and antineutrino scattering with energies of 1 GeV from $^{12}$C with a proton and neutron knockout (u-channel inclusive processes). The results are compared with those obtained using the scaling function from the relativistic Fermi gas model and the scaling function as determined from the superscaling analysis (SuSA) of QE electron scattering.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, published in Phys. Rev.

Superscaling in dilute Fermi gas and its relation to general properties of the nucleon momentum distribution in nuclei

The superscaling observed in inclusive electron scattering is described within the dilute Fermi gas model with interaction between the particles. The comparison with the relativistic Fermi gas (RFG) model without interaction shows an improvement in the explanation of the scaling function $f(\psi ')$ in the region $\psi ' < -1$, where the RFG result is $f(\psi ') = 0$. It is found that the behavior of $f(\psi ')$ for $\psi ' < -1$ depends on the particular form of the general power-law asymptotics of the momentum distribution $n(k)\sim 1/ k^{4+m}$ at large $k$. The best agreement with the empirical scaling function is found for $m\simeq 4.5$ in agreement with the asymptotics of $n(k)$ in the coherent density fluctuation model where $m = 4$. Thus, superscaling gives information about the asymptotics of $n(k)$ and the NN forces.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review