Symmetry energy in dilute matter and the neutron skin

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Papakonstantinou, Panagiota
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866915640462278656
author Papakonstantinou, Panagiota
author_facet Papakonstantinou, Panagiota
contents Energy density functional (EDF) theory provides a unified framework for the description of nuclei and of infinite nuclear matter. In principle, it facilitates direct connections between nuclear data and the nuclear equation of state (EoS). Although in practice traditional nuclear EDF theory has strained to describe finite nuclei and infinite systems at the same time, recently developed extended EDF models overcome many of the limitations of traditional models in that respect. A recent challenge to EDF and EoS studies has come entirely from within nuclear structure, namely how to account both for the relatively thin neutron skin in 48Ca as extracted by the CREX experiment and the relatively thick neutron skin of 208Pb exctracted by the PREX-II experiment. The discrepancy suggests a surface and structure effect. The present study shows that the puzzle can be resolved in a non-relativistic framework by revisiting the nuclear surface tension and diffuseness, as driven in part by the EoS in dilute matter well below the saturation point and in part by the isovector gradient terms and spin-orbit potential. Such effects have no bearing on the EoS near and above saturation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_22110
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Symmetry energy in dilute matter and the neutron skin
Papakonstantinou, Panagiota
Nuclear Theory
Energy density functional (EDF) theory provides a unified framework for the description of nuclei and of infinite nuclear matter. In principle, it facilitates direct connections between nuclear data and the nuclear equation of state (EoS). Although in practice traditional nuclear EDF theory has strained to describe finite nuclei and infinite systems at the same time, recently developed extended EDF models overcome many of the limitations of traditional models in that respect. A recent challenge to EDF and EoS studies has come entirely from within nuclear structure, namely how to account both for the relatively thin neutron skin in 48Ca as extracted by the CREX experiment and the relatively thick neutron skin of 208Pb exctracted by the PREX-II experiment. The discrepancy suggests a surface and structure effect. The present study shows that the puzzle can be resolved in a non-relativistic framework by revisiting the nuclear surface tension and diffuseness, as driven in part by the EoS in dilute matter well below the saturation point and in part by the isovector gradient terms and spin-orbit potential. Such effects have no bearing on the EoS near and above saturation.
title Symmetry energy in dilute matter and the neutron skin
topic Nuclear Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.22110