524 research outputs found
Second-order equation of state with the full Skyrme interaction: toward new effective interactions for beyond mean-field models
In a quantum Fermi system the energy per particle calculated at the second
order beyond the mean-field approximation diverges if a zero-range interaction
is employed. We have previously analyzed this problem in symmetric nuclear
matter by using a simplified nuclear Skyrme interaction, and proposed a
strategy to treat such a divergence. In the present work, we extend the same
strategy to the case of the full nuclear Skyrme interaction. Moreover we show
that, in spite of the strong divergence ( , where is
the momentum cutoff) related to the velocity-dependent terms of the
interaction, the adopted cutoff regularization can be always simultaneously
performed for both symmetric and nuclear matter with different
neutron-to-proton ratio. This paves the way to applications to finite nuclei.Comment: 15 figure
Information content of the weak-charge form factor
Parity-violating electron scattering provides a model-independent
determination of the nuclear weak-charge form factor that has widespread
implications across such diverse areas as fundamental symmetries, nuclear
structure, heavy-ion collisions, and neutron-star structure. We assess the
impact of precise measurements of the weak-charge form factor of Ca
and Pb on a variety of nuclear observables, such as the neutron skin
and the electric-dipole polarizability. We use the nuclear Density Functional
Theory with several accurately calibrated non-relativistic and relativistic
energy density functionals. To assess the degree of correlation between nuclear
observables and to explore systematic and statistical uncertainties on
theoretical predictions, we employ the chi-square statistical covariance
technique. We find a strong correlation between the weak-charge form factor and
the neutron radius, that allows for an accurate determination of the neutron
skin of neutron-rich nuclei. We determine the optimal range of the momentum
transfer that maximizes the information content of the measured weak-charge
form factor and quantify the uncertainties associated with the strange quark
contribution. Moreover, we confirm the role of the electric-dipole
polarizability as a strong isovector indicator. Accurate measurements of the
weak-charge form factor of Ca and Pb will have a profound
impact on many aspects of nuclear theory and hadronic measurements of neutron
skins of exotic nuclei at radioactive-beam facilities.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Sensitivity of the electric dipole polarizability to the neutron skin thickness in Pb
The static dipole polarizability, , in Pb has been
recently measured with high-resolution via proton inelastic scattering at the
Research Center for Nuclear Physics (RCNP). This observable is thought to be
intimately connected with the neutron skin thickness, , of the
same nucleus and, more fundamentally, it is believed to be associated with the
density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy. The impact of
on in Pb is investigated and discussed on the basis
of a large and representative set of relativistic and non-relativistic nuclear
energy density functionals (EDF).Comment: Proceedings of NSD12, Opatija, Croatia, 9-13 July 201
Giant Quadrupole Resonances in 208Pb, the nuclear symmetry energy and the neutron skin thickness
Recent improvements in the experimental determination of properties of the
Isovector Giant Quadrupole Resonance (IVGQR), as demonstrated in the A=208 mass
region, may be instrumental for characterizing the isovector channel of the
effective nuclear interaction. We analyze properties of the IVGQR in 208Pb,
using both macroscopic and microscopic approaches. The microscopic method is
based on families of non-relativistic and covariant Energy Density Functionals
(EDF), characterized by a systematic variation of isoscalar and isovector
properties of the corresponding nuclear matter equations of state. The
macroscopic approach yields an explicit dependence of the nuclear symmetry
energy at some subsaturation density, for instance S(\rho=0.1 fm^{-3}), or the
neutron skin thickness \Delta r_{np} of a heavy nucleus, on the excitation
energies of isoscalar and isovector GQRs. Using available data it is found that
S(\rho=0.1 fm{}^{-3})=23.3 +/- 0.6 MeV. Results obtained with the microscopic
framework confirm the correlation of the \Delta r_{np} to the isoscalar and
isovector GQR energies, as predicted by the macroscopic model. By exploiting
this correlation together with the experimental values for the isoscalar and
isovector GQR energies, we estimate \Delta r_{np} = 0.14 +/- 0.03 fm for 208Pb,
and the slope parameter of the symmetry energy: L = 37 +/- 18 MeV
Study of the neutron skin thickness of Pb in mean field models
We study whether the neutron skin thickness of Pb
originates from the bulk or from the surface of the neutron and proton density
distributions in mean field models. We find that the size of the bulk
contribution to of Pb strongly depends on the slope
of the nuclear symmetry energy, while the surface contribution does not. We
note that most mean field models predict a neutron density for Pb
between the halo and skin type limits. We investigate the dependence of parity-
violating electron scattering at the kinematics of the PREX experiment on the
shape of the nucleon densities predicted by the mean field models for
Pb. We find an approximate formula for the parity-violating asymmetry
in terms of the central radius and the surface diffuseness of the nucleon
densities of Pb in these models.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, proceedings MBC 2011 - Many body correlations
from dilute to dense nuclear systems - IHP PARI
Electric dipole polarizability and the neutron skin
The recent high-resolution measurement of the electric dipole (E1)
polarizability (alphad) in 208Pb [Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 062502 (2011)] provides
a unique constraint on the neutron-skin thickness of this nucleus. The
neutron-skin thickness (rskin) of 208Pb is a quantity of critical importance
for our understanding of a variety of nuclear and astrophysical phenomena. To
assess the model dependence of the correlation between alphad and rskin, we
carry out systematic calculations for 208Pb, 132Sn, and 48Ca based on the
nuclear density functional theory (DFT) using both non-relativistic and
relativistic energy density functionals (EDFs). Our analysis indicates that
whereas individual models exhibit a linear dependence between alphad and rskin,
this correlation is not universal when one combines predictions from a host of
different models. By averaging over these model predictions, we provide
estimates with associated systematic errors for rskin and alphad for the nuclei
under consideration. We conclude that precise measurements of rskin in both
48Ca and 208Pb---combined with the recent measurement of alphad---should
significantly constrain the isovector sector of the nuclear energy density
functional.Comment: Manuscript contains 5 pages, 2 figures, and 1 table. Submitted to
Physical Review Letter
Galaxy Clusters in the Line of Sight to Background Quasars: I. Survey Design and Incidence of MgII Absorbers at Cluster Redshifts
We describe the first optical survey of absorption systems associated with
galaxy clusters at z= 0.3-0.9. We have cross-correlated SDSS DR3 quasars with
high-redshift cluster/group candidates from the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey. We
have found 442 quasar-cluster pairs for which the MgII doublet might be
detected at a transverse (physical) distance d<2 Mpc from the cluster centers.
To investigate the incidence (dN/dz) and equivalent-width distribution n(W) of
MgII systems at cluster redshifts, two statistical samples were drawn out of
these pairs: one made of high-resolution spectroscopic quasar observations (46
pairs), and one made of quasars used in MgII searches found in the literature
(375 pairs). The results are: (1) the population of strong MgII systems
(W_0>2.0 Ang.) near cluster redshifts shows a significant (>3 sigma)
overabundance (up to a factor of 15) when compared with the 'field' population;
(2) the overabundance is more evident at smaller distances (d<1 Mpc) than
larger distances (d<2 Mpc) from the cluster center; and, (3) the population of
weak MgII systems (W_0<0.3 Ang.) near cluster redshifts conform to the field
statistics. Unlike in the field, this dichotomy makes n(W) in clusters appear
flat and well fitted by a power-law in the entire W-range. A sub-sample of the
most massive clusters yields a stronger and still significant signal. Since
either the absorber number density or filling-factor/cross-section affects the
absorber statistics, an interesting possibility is that we have detected the
signature of truncated halos due to environmental effects. Thus, we argue that
the excess of strong systems is due to a population of absorbers in an
overdense galaxy environment, and the lack of weak systems to a different
population, that got destroyed in the cluster environment. (Abridged)Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Nuclear Symmetry Energy: constraints from Giant Quadrupole Resonances and Parity Violating Electron Scattering
Experimental and theoretical efforts are being devoted to the study of
observables that can shed light on the properties of the nuclear symmetry
energy. We present our new results on the excitation energy [X. Roca-Maza et
al., Phys. Rev. C 87, 034301 (2013)] and polarizability of the Isovector Giant
Quadrupole Resonance (IVGQR), which has been the object of new experimental
investigation [S. S. Henshaw et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 222501 (2011)]. We
also present our theoretical analysis on the parity violating asymmetry at the
kinematics of the Lead Radius Experiment [S. Abrahamyan et al. (PREx
Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 112502 (2012)] and highlight its relation
with the density dependence of the symmetry energy [X. Roca-Maza et al., Phys.
Rev. Lett. 106, 252501 (2011)].Comment: Proceedings - International Nuclear Physics Conference (INPC),
Firenze 2 - 7 June 201
The Space Density and Colors of Massive Galaxies at 2<z<3: the Predominance of Distant Red Galaxies
Using the deep multi-wavelength MUSYC, GOODS, and FIRES surveys we construct
a stellar mass-limited sample of galaxies at 2<z<3. The sample comprises 294
galaxies with M>10^11 Solar masses distributed over four independent fields
with a total area of almost 400 sq arcmin. The mean number density of massive
galaxies in this redshift range is (2.2+-0.6) x 10^-4 Mpc^-3. We present median
values and 25th and 75th percentiles for the distributions of observed R mags,
observed J-K colors, and rest-frame UV continuum slopes, M/L(V) ratios, and U-V
colors. The galaxies show a large range in all these properties. The ``median
galaxy'' is faint in the observer's optical (R=25.9), red in the observed
near-IR (J-K=2.48), has a rest-frame UV spectrum which is relatively flat
(beta=-0.4), and rest-frame optical colors resembling those of nearby spiral
galaxies (U-V=0.62). We determine which galaxies would be selected as Lyman
break galaxies (LBGs) or Distant Red Galaxies (DRGs, having J-K>2.3) in this
mass-limited sample. By number DRGs make up 69% of the sample and LBGs 20%,
with a small amount of overlap. By mass DRGs make up 77% and LBGs 17%. Neither
technique provides a representative sample of massive galaxies at 2<z<3 as they
only sample the extremes of the population. As we show here, multi-wavelength
surveys with high quality photometry are essential for an unbiased census of
massive galaxies in the early Universe. The main uncertainty in this analysis
is our reliance on photometric redshifts; confirmation of the results presented
here requires extensive near-infrared spectroscopy of optically-faint samples.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Electric dipole polarizability in 208Pb: insights from the droplet model
We study the electric dipole polarizability α D in 208 Pb based on the predictions of a large and representative set of relativistic and nonrelativistic nuclear mean-field models. We adopt the droplet model as a guide to better understand the correlations between α D and other isovector observables. Insights from the droplet model suggest that the product of α D and the nuclear symmetry energy at saturation density J is much better correlated with the neutron skin thickness r np of 208 Pb than the polarizability alone. Correlations of α D J with r np and with the symmetry energy slope parameter L suggest that α D J is a strong isovector indicator. Hence, we explore the possibility of constraining the isovector sector of the nuclear energy density functional by comparing our theoretical predictions against measurements of both α D and the parity-violating asymmetry in 208 Pb. We find that the recent experimental determination of α D in 208 Pb in combination with the range for the symmetry energy at saturation density J = [31 ± (2) est] MeV suggests r np (208 Pb) = 0 . 165 ± (0 . 009) expt ± (0 . 013) theor ± (0.021) est fm and L = 43 ± (6) expt ± (8) theor ± (12) est Me
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