Circumstantial Evidence for a Soft Nuclear Symmetry Energy at Suprasaturation Densities

Within an isospin- and momentum-dependent hadronic transport model, it is shown that the recent FOPI data on the pi(-)/pi(+) ratio in central heavy-ion collisions at SIS/GSI energies [Willy Reisdorf , Nucl. Phys. A 781, 459 (2007)] provide circumstantial evidence suggesting a rather soft nuclear symmetry energy E-sym(rho) at rho >= 2 rho(0) compared to the Akmal-Pandharipande-Ravenhall prediction. Some astrophysical implications and the need for further experimental confirmations are discussed.

High-spin level structure in Mo-94,Mo-95

High-spin level structures of 94,95Mo have been reinvestigated via the 16O(82Se, xnγ)94,95Mo(x = 4, 3) reactions at E(82Se) = 460 MeV. The previously reported level schemes of these two nuclei have been largely modified up to ∼11 MeV in excitation energy due to identifications of some important linking transitions. Shellmodel calculations have been made in the model space of π(p1/2, g9/2, d5/2)4 and ν(d5/2, s1/2, d3/2, g7/2, h11/2)2(3) and compared with the modified level schemes. The structures of the newly assigned high-spin states in 94,95Mo have been discussed.

Triton-He-3 relative and differential flows as probes of the nuclear symmetry energy at supra-saturation densities

Using a transport model coupled with a phase-space coalescence afterburner, we study the triton-He-3 (t-He-3) ratio with both relative and differential transverse flows in semicentral Sn-132 + Sn-124 reactions at a beam energy of 400 MeV/nucleon. The neutron-proton ratios with relative and differential flows are also discussed as a reference. We find that similar to the neutron-proton pairs, the t-He-3 pairs also carry interesting information regarding the density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy. Moreover, the nuclear symmetry energy affects more strongly the t-He-3 relative and differential flows than the pi(-)/pi(+) ratio in the same reaction. The t-He-3 relative flow can be used as a particularly powerful probe of the high-density behavior of the nuclear symmetry energy.

Hyperfine quenching of the 3s3p P-3(0) level in Mg-like ions

Hyperfine quenching rates of the 3s3p P-3(0) level in Mg-like ions were calculated using the GRASP2K package based on the multi-configuration Dirac-Hartree-Fock method. Valence and core-valence correlation effects were accounted for in a systematic way. Breit interactions and QED effects were included in the subsequent relativistic CI calculations. Calculated rates were compared with other theoretical values and with experiment, and a good agreement with the latest experimental value for the Al-27(+) ion (Rosenband et al 2007 Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 220801) was found. Furthermore, we showed in detail the contributions from Breit interaction and QED effects to concerned physical properties. Finally, electronic data were presented in terms of a general scaling law in Z that, given isotopic nuclear spin and magnetic moment, allows hyperfine-induced decay rates to be estimated for any isotope along the isoelectronic sequence.