The limits of the nuclear landscape

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Physics
• Astrophysics

Background:

• Approximately 3,000 known nuclides exist, with 100 discovered in 2011.
• The chart of nuclides is defined by 'drip lines' indicating the limits of nuclear binding.
• Current predictions for heavy element drip lines are uncertain, with unknown limits on bound protons and neutrons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the limits of the nuclear landscape.
• To provide statistical and systematic uncertainties for predictions of bound nuclides.
• To assess the consistency of theoretical models for nuclear properties.

Main Methods:

• Nuclear density functional theory
• Multiple Skyrme interactions
• High-performance computing

Main Results:

• Estimated around 7,000 bound nuclides for elements with 2 to 120 protons.
• Consistent extrapolations for drip-line positions across different models.
• Consistent predictions for nuclear properties, including neutron separation energies.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a more precise estimation of the nuclear landscape's boundaries.
• Predictions for drip-line positions and nuclear properties show high consistency among theoretical models.
• Findings are relevant for understanding astrophysical processes involving neutron separation energies.