Systematic study of proton-neutron pairing correlations in the nuclear shell model

TL;DR

This study systematically investigates proton-neutron pairing correlations in the nuclear shell model, considering deformation, spin-orbit effects, and different pairing modes across several nuclei.

Contribution

It introduces a shell-model framework that assesses proton-neutron pairing modes with deformation and symmetry considerations, including the impact of spin-orbit interactions.

Findings

Proton-neutron pairing correlations vary with nuclear configuration.

Spin-orbit interactions influence pairing mode contributions.

Different nuclei exhibit distinct pairing behaviors.

Abstract

A shell-model study of proton-neutron pairing in $2p1f$ shell nuclei using a parametrized hamiltonian that includes deformation and spin-orbit effects as well as isoscalar and isovector pairing is reported. By working in a shell-model framework we are able to assess the role of the various modes of proton-neutron pairing in the presence of nuclear deformation without violating symmetries. Results are presented for $^{44}$Ti, $^{45}$Ti, $^{46}$Ti, $^{46}$V and $^{48}$Cr to assess how proton-neutron pair correlations emerge under different scenarios. We also study how the presence of a one-body spin-obit interaction affects the contribution of the various pairing modes.