On the nuclear symmetry energy and the neutron skin in neutron-rich nuclei

The symmetry energy for nuclear matter and its relation to the neutron skin in finite nuclei is discussed. The symmetry energy as a function of density obtained in a self-consistent Green function approach is presented and compared to the results of other recent theoretical approaches. A partial explanation of the linear relation between the symmetry energy and the neutron skin is proposed. The potential of several experimental methods to extract the neutron skin is examined.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev.

Center-of-mass effects on the quasi-hole spectroscopic factors in the 16O(e,e'p) reaction

The spectroscopic factors for the low-lying quasi-hole states observed in the 16O(e,e'p)15N reaction are reinvestigated with a variational Monte Carlo calculation for the structure of the initial and final nucleus. A computational error in a previous report is rectified. It is shown that a proper treatment of center-of-mass motion does not lead to a reduction of the spectroscopic factor for $p$-shell quasi-hole states, but rather to a 7% enhancement. This is in agreement with analytical results obtained in the harmonic oscillator model. The center-of-mass effect worsens the discrepancy between present theoretical models and the experimentally observed single-particle strength. We discuss the present status of this problem, including some other mechanisms that may be relevant in this respect.Comment: 14 pages, no figures, uses Revtex, to be published in Phys. Rev. C 58 (1998

Schiff Theorem and the Electric Dipole Moments of Hydrogen-Like Atoms

The Schiff theorem is revisited in this work and the residual $P$- and $T$-odd electron--nucleus interaction, after the shielding takes effect, is completely specified. An application is made to the electric dipole moments of hydrogen-like atoms, whose qualitative features and systematics have important implication for realistic paramagnetic atoms.Comment: 3 pages. Contribution to PANIC05, Particles and Nuclei International Conference, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Oct. 24-28, 200

The Statistical Multifragmentation Model with Skyrme Effective Interactions

The Statistical Multifragmentation Model is modified to incorporate the Helmholtz free energies calculated in the finite temperature Thomas-Fermi approximation using Skyrme effective interactions. In this formulation, the density of the fragments at the freeze-out configuration corresponds to the equilibrium value obtained in the Thomas-Fermi approximation at the given temperature. The behavior of the nuclear caloric curve at constant volume is investigated in the micro-canonical ensemble and a plateau is observed for excitation energies between 8 and 10 MeV per nucleon. A kink in the caloric curve is found at the onset of this gas transition, indicating the existence of a small excitation energy region with negative heat capacity. In contrast to previous statistical calculations, this situation takes place even in this case in which the system is constrained to fixed volume. The observed phase transition takes place at approximately constant entropy. The charge distribution and other observables also turn out to be sensitive to the treatment employed in the calculation of the free energies and the fragments' volumes at finite temperature, specially at high excitation energies. The isotopic distribution is also affected by this treatment, which suggests that this prescription may help to obtain information on the nuclear equation of state

Nuclear symmetry energy effects on neutron stars properties

We construct a class of nuclear equations of state based on a schematic potential model, that originates from the work of Prakash et. al. \cite{Prakash-88}, which reproduce the results of most microscopic calculations. The equations of state are used as input for solving the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkov equations for corresponding neutron stars. The potential part contribution of the symmetry energy to the total energy is parameterized in a generalized form both for low and high values of the baryon density. Special attention is devoted to the construction of the symmetry energy in order to reproduce the results of most microscopic calculations of dense nuclear matter. The obtained nuclear equations of state are applied for the systematic study of the global properties of a neutron star (masses, radii and composition). The calculated masses and radii of the neutron stars are plotted as a function of the potential part parameters of the symmetry energy. A linear relation between these parameters, the radius and the maximum mass of the neutron star is obtained. In addition, a linear relation between the radius and the derivative of the symmetry energy near the saturation density is found. We also address on the problem of the existence of correlation between the pressure near the saturation density and the radius.Comment: 17 pages, 25 figure

Threshold Effects in Multi-channel Coupling and Spectroscopic Factors in Exotic Nuclei

In the threshold region, the cross section and the associated overlap integral obey the Wigner threshold law that results in the Wigner-cusp phenomenon. Due to flux conservation, a cusp anomaly in one channel manifests itself in other open channels, even if their respective thresholds appear at a different energy. The shape of a threshold cusp depends on the orbital angular momentum of a scattered particle; hence, studies of Wigner anomalies in weakly bound nuclei with several low-lying thresholds can provide valuable spectroscopic information. In this work, we investigate the threshold behavior of spectroscopic factors in neutron-rich drip-line nuclei using the Gamow Shell Model, which takes into account many-body correlations and the continuum effects. The presence of threshold anomalies is demonstrated and the implications for spectroscopic factors are discussed.Comment: Accepted in Physical Review C Figure correcte

Pions in the nuclear medium and Drell-Yan scattering

We investigate the modification of the pion-cloud in the nuclear medium and its effect on the nuclear Drell-Yan process. The pion's in-medium self-energy is calculated in a self-consistent delta-hole model, with particle-hole contribution also included. Both the imaginary and real part of the pion's and delta's self-energy are taken into account and related through a dispersion relation assuring causality. The resulting in-medium pion light-cone momentum distribution shows only a slight enhancement compared to the one of the free nucleon. As a consequence the ratio of the cross-section for Drell-Yan scattering on nuclear matter and nucleonic target is close to unity in agreement with experiment.Comment: 33 pages, Latex with epsf, figures included, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Atomic Electric Dipole Moments: The Schiff Theorem and Its Corrections

Searches for the permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs) of diamagnetic atoms provide powerful probes of CP-violating hadronic and semileptonic interactions. The theoretical interpretation of such experiments, however, requires careful implementation of a well-known theorem by Schiff that implies a vanishing net EDM for an atom built entirely from point-like, nonrelativistic constituents that interact only electrostatically. Any experimental observation of a nonzero atomic EDM would result from corrections to the point-like, nonrelativistic, electrostatic assumption. We reformulate Schiff's theorem at the operator level and delineate the electronic and nuclear operators whose atomic matrix elements generate corrections to "Schiff screening". We obtain a form for the operator responsible for the leading correction associated with finite nuclear size -- the so-called "Schiff moment" operator -- and observe that it differs from the corresponding operator used in previous Schiff moment computations. We show that the more general Schiff moment operator reduces to the previously employed operator only under certain approximations that are not generally justified. We also identify other corrections to Schiff screening that may not be included properly in previous theoretical treatments. We discuss practical considerations for obtaining a complete computation of corrections to Schiff screening in atomic EDM calculations.Comment: 31 pages, 2 figures, typeset by REVTe