Probing the neutron skin thickness in collective modes of excitation

• Main Authors: Paar N., Horvat A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: EDP Sciences 2014-03-01
• Series: EPJ Web of Conferences
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20146602078

Nuclear collective motion provides valuable constraint on the size of neutron-skin thickness and the properties of nuclear matter symmetry energy. By employing relativistic nuclear energy density functional (RNEDF) and covariance analysis related to χ2 fitting of the model parameters, relevant observables are identified for dipole excitations, which strongly correlate with the neutron-skin thickness (rnp), symmetry energy at saturation density (J) and slope of the symmetry energy (L). Using the RNEDF framework and experimental data on pygmy dipole strength (68Ni, 132Sn, 208Pb) and dipole polarizability (208Pb), it is shown how the values of J, and L, and rnp are constrained. The isotopic dependence of moments associated to dipole excitations in 116–136Sn shows that the low-energy dipole strength and polarizability in neutron-rich nuclei display strong sensitivity to the symmetry energy parameter J, more pronounced than in isotopes with moderate neutron-to-proton number ratios.