Di-nuclear systems studied with the velocity filter SHIP

Various nuclear reactions like quasi-fission, fusion-fission or particle and cluster evaporation from excited compound nuclei were studied in heavy-ion reactions at the velocity filter SHIP of GSI. The velocity filter offers the possibility to detect all reaction products under zero degree relative to the beam direction. Together with the measurement of the product velocity distribution this allows for an identification of the underlying reaction mechanism. This article is focussed on reactions of Mg-25 and Ni-64 beams on Pb-206,Pb-207 targets at energies of 5.9 x A MeV and 8.7 x A MeV. Besides evaporation residues from Mg-25 + Pb-206 collisions we found evidence for rotation and quasi-fission of nuclear molecules formed in the entrance channel after the capture stage. The break-up of the systems showed a preferred clustering leading to isotopes in the region 84 <= Z <= 88 and 122 <= N <= 127 of the chart of nuclei.

Outline of the progress in the study of radioactive nuclear physics and super-heavy nuclei

We briefly introduce the current status and progress in the field of radioactive ion beam physics and the study of super-heavy nuclei. Some important problems and research directions are outlined, such as the sub-barrier fusion reaction, the direct reaction at Fermi energy and high energies, the property of nuclei at drip-lines, new magic numbers and new collective motion modes for unstable nuclei and the synthesis and study of the super-heavy nuclei.

Study on effective masses of meson in dense nuclear matter

We introduce and summary our research progress on the effective masses of K meson in dense nuclear matter.

Single particle properties in asymmetric nuclear matter and TBF rearrangement effect

We have developed the formula and the numerical code for calculating the rearrangement contribution to the single particle (s.p.) properties in asymmetric nuclear matter induced by three-body forces within the framework of the Brueckner theory extended to include a microscopic three-body force (TBF). We have investigated systematically the TBF-induced rearrangement effect on the s.p. properties and their isospin-behavior in neutron-rich nuclear medium. It is shown that the TBF induces a repulsive rearrangement contribution to the s.p. potential in nuclear medium. The repulsion of the TBF rearrangement contribution increases rapidly as a function of density and nucleon momentum. It reduces largely the attraction of the BHF s.p. potential and enhances strongly the momentum dependence of the s.p. potential at large densities and high-momenta. The TBF rearrangement effect on symmetry potential is to enhances its repulsion (attraction) on neutrons (protons) in dense asymmetric nuclear matter.

Superfluidity in neutron matter and symmetric nuclear matter and the effect of a microscopic three-body force

The neutron (PF2)-P-3 pairing gap in pure neutron matter, neutron (PF2)-P-3 gap and neutron-proton (SD1)-S-3 gap in symmetric nuclear matter have been studied by using the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock(BHF) approach and the BCS theory. We have concentrated on investigating and discussing the three-body force effect on the nucleon superfluidity. The calculated results indicate that the three-body force enhances remaxkably the (PF2)-P-3 superfluidity in neutron matter. It also enhances the (PF2)-P-3 superfluidity in symmetric nuclear matter and its effect increases monotonically as the Fermi-momentum k(F) increases, whereas the three-body force is shown to influence only weakly the neutron-proton (SD1)-S-3 gap in symmetric nuclear matter.

Rotation-driven prolate-to-oblate shape phase transition in W-190: A projected shell model study

A shape phase transition is demonstrated to occur in W-190 by applying the projected shell model, which goes beyond the usual mean-field approximation. Rotation alignment of neutrons in the high-j, i(13/2) orbital drives the yrast sequence of the system, changing suddenly from prolate to oblate shape at angular momentum 10h. We propose observables to test the picture.

Differential isospin-fractionation in dilute asymmetric nuclear matter

The differential isospin-fractionation (IsoF) during the liquid-gas phase transition in dilute asymmetric nuclear matter is studied as a function of nucleon momentum. Within a self-consistent thermal model it is shown that the neutron/proton ratio of the gas phase becomes smaller than that of the liquid phase for energetic nucleons, although the gas phase is overall more neutron-rich. Clear indications of the differential IsoF consistent with the thermal model predictions are demonstrated within a transport model for heavy-ion reactions. Future comparisons with experimental data will allow us to extract critical information about the momentum dependence of the isovector strong interaction.

Systematic study on alpha decay half-lives of superheavy nuclei

The a-decay half-lives of a set of superheavy nuclear isotope chain from Z = 105 to 120 have been analyzed systematically within the WKB method, and some nuclear structure features are found. The decay barriers have been determined in the quasi-molecular shape path within the Generalized Liquid Drop Model (GLDM) including the proximity effects between nucleons in a neck and the mass and charge asymmetry. The results are in reasonable agreement with the published experimental data for the alpha decay half-lives of isotopes of charge 112, 114, and 116, of the element 294118 and of some decay products. A comparison of present calculations with the results by the DDM3Y effective interaction and by the Viola-Seaborg Sobiczewski (VSS) formulae is also made. The experimental a decay half lives all stand in between the GLDM calculations and VSS formula results. This demonstrates the possibility of these models to provide reasonable estimates for the half-lives of nuclear decays by a emissions for the domain of SHN. The half-lives of these new nuclei are thus well tested from the reasonable consistence of the macroscopic, the microscopic, the empirical formulae and the experimental data. This also shows that the present data of SHN themselves are consistent. It could suggest that the present experimental claims on the existence of new elements Z = 110 similar to 118 are reliable. It is expected that greater deviations of a few SHN between the data and the model may be eliminated by further improvements on the precision of the measurements.

Nuclear potential and fusion cross sections for synthesizing super-heavy elements in di-nuclear systems

A double folding method with simplified Skyreme-type nucleon-nucleon interaction is used to calculate the nuclear interaction potential between two nuclei. The calculation is performed in tip-to-tip orientation of the two nuclei if they are deformed. Based on this methods, the potential energy surfaces, the fusion probabilities and the evaporation residue cross sections for some cold fusion reactions leading to super-heavy elements within di-nuclear system model are evaluated. It is indicated that after the improvement, the exponential decreasing systematics of the fusion probability with increasing charge number of projectile on the Pb based target become better and the evaporation residue cross sections are in better agreement with the experimental data.

Effective masses of pentaquark Theta(+) in nuclear matter

The properties of baryons in nuclear matter are analysed in the relativistic mean-field theory(RMF). It is found that the scalar field sigma meson affects the properties of baryon at high density. A density dependent scalar coupling g(sigma)(N) is determined according to the idea of quark-meson coupling model and extended to RMF. It is shown that g(sigma)(N), affects the property of nuclear matter weakly at low density, but strongly at high density. The relation between the scalar density rho(S) and the nuclear density rho and the effective mass of the pentaquark circle minus(+) are studied with the density dependent coupling constant. The density dependent scalar coupling obviously affects the effective masses of baryons in nuclear matter, especially at high density.

The neutron/proton ratio of squeezed-out nucleons and the high density behavior of the nuclear symmetry energy

Within a transport model it is shown that the neutron/proton ratio of squeezed-out nucleons perpendicular to the reaction plane, especially at high transverse momenta, in heavy-ion reactions induced by high energy neutron-rich nuclei can be a useful tool for studying the high density behavior of the nuclear symmetry energy.

Proton and neutron S-1(0) superfluidity in asymmetric nuclear matter

The proton and neutron S-1(0), pairing gaps and their isospin dependence in isospin asymmetric nuclear matter have been studied by the isospin dependent Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approach and the BCS theory. We have focused on investigating and discussing the effect of three-body force. The calculated results indicate that as the isospin asymmetry increases, the density range of the S-1(0) neutron superfluidity is narrowed slightly and the maximum value of the neutron pairing gap increases 9 while the density domain for the proton superfluidity enlarges rapidly and the peak value of the proton gap decreases remarkably. The three-body force turns out to affect only weakly the neutron S-1(0) superfluidity and its isospin dependence, i. e., it leads to a small reduction of the neutron S-1(0) paring gap. However, the three-body force not only reduces largely the strength of the proton S-1(0) gaps at high densities in highly asymmetric nuclear matter but also suppresses strongly the density domain for the proton S-1(0) superfluidity phase.

Isospin dependence of S-1(0) proton and neutron superfluidity in asymmetric nuclear matter

We investigate the S-1(0) neutron and proton superfluidity in isospin-asymmetric nuclear matter. We have concentrated on the isospin dependence of the pairing gaps and the effect of a microscopic three-body force. It is found that as the isospin asymmetry goes higher, the neutron S-1(0) superfluid phase shrinks gradually to a smaller density domain, whereas the proton one extends rapidly to a much wider density domain. The three-body force turns out to weaken the neutron S-1(0) superfluidity slightly, but it suppresses strongly the proton S-1(0) superfluidity at high densities in nuclear matter with large isospin asymmetry.

Isospin effect in the nuclear reaction induced by neutron-halo nuclei

We study the average property of the isospin effect of reaction induced by halo-neutron nuclei He-8 and He-10 in the intermediate energy heavy ion collisions using the isospin-dependent quantum molecular dynamics model (IQMD). This study is based on the extended neutron density distribution for the halo-neutron nuclei, which includes the average property of the isospin effect-of reaction mechanism and loose inner structure. The extended neutron density distribution brings an important isospin. effect into the average property of reaction mechanism because the interaction potential and nucleon-nucleon(N-N) cross section in IQMD model depend sensitively on the density distribution of colliding system. In order to see clearly the average properties of reaction mechanism induced by halo-neutron nuclei we also compare the results for the neutron-halo colliding systems with those for the corresponding stable colliding systems under the same incident channel condition. We found that the extended density distribution for the neutron-halo projectile brings an important isospin effect to the reaction mechanism, which leads to the decrease of nuclear stopping R, yet induces obvious increase of the neutron-proton ratio of nucleon emissions and isospin fractionation ratio for all beam energies studied in this work, compared to the corresponding stable colliding system. In this case, nuclear stopping, the neutron-proton ratio of nucleon emissions and isospin fractionation ratio induced by halo-neutron nuclei can be used as possible probes for studying the average property of the isospin effect of reaction mechanism and extracting the information of symmetry potential and in-medium N-N cross section by the neutron-halo nuclei in heavy ion collisions.

The influence of nuclear orientation in fusion dynamics

Fusion barriers have been calculated for different orientations of the axial symmetry axis of deformed projectile-and target-nucleus. Using the concept of dinuclear system, considering the strong competition between fusion and quasifission processes, by solving the master equation numerically to calculate the fusion probability of superheavy nuclei, we have estimated the dependence of the fusion probabilities for Ge-76 + Pb-208 and Ca-48 + Pu-244 on the orientation angles of the symmetry axis of projectile-and target-nucleus, which shows that belly-belly is the most favorable orientation for synthesizing superheavy nuclei.