Systematic Matter and Binding-Energy Distributions from a Dispersive Optical Model Analysis

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Physics
• Atomic Physics

Background:

• Nuclear binding energy is crucial for understanding atomic nuclei.
• Neutron skins, the excess of neutrons on the nuclear surface, impact nuclear stability and reactions.
• Previous studies often analyzed nuclear properties separately, limiting comprehensive understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To perform the first systematic nonlocal dispersive optical model analysis of nuclear structure.
• To investigate the relationship between nuclear binding energy, neutron skins, and isotopic properties.
• To develop a more effective method for constraining asymmetry-dependent nuclear structural quantities.

Main Methods:

• Utilized bound-state and scattering data for isotopic pairs of oxygen, calcium, nickel, tin, and lead.
• Employed a systematic nonlocal dispersive optical model analysis.
• Simultaneously fitted inelastic scattering and structural data.

Main Results:

• Approximately 50% of nuclear binding energy resides in the densest 10% of nucleons.
• Extracted neutron skins demonstrate the combined influence of asymmetry, Coulomb, and shell effects.
• The analysis successfully constrained nuclear structural quantities.

Conclusions:

• Simultaneous analysis of scattering and structural data is effective for nuclear structure studies.
• This approach provides insights into neutron skin thickness and its dependencies.
• The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of nuclear forces and properties.