Microscopic and self-consistent description for neutron halo in deformed nuclei

TL;DR

This paper develops a microscopic, self-consistent relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum to study neutron halos in deformed, weakly bound nuclei, revealing shape decoupling between core and halo.

Contribution

It introduces a novel theoretical framework for analyzing neutron halos in deformed nuclei, accounting for continuum effects and shape decoupling.

Findings

Neutron halos can have different shapes from their cores.

Shape decoupling occurs between the halo and the core in certain nuclei.

Conditions for halo formation in deformed nuclei are identified.

Abstract

A deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum has been developed for the study of neutron halos in deformed nuclei and the halo phenomenon in deformed weakly bound nuclei is investigated. Magnesium and neon isotopes are studied and some results are presented for the deformed neutron-rich and weakly bound nuclei 44Mg and 36Ne. The core of the former nucleus is prolate, but the halo has a slightly oblate shape. This indicates a decoupling of the halo orbitals from the deformation of the core. The generic conditions for the existence of halos in deformed nuclei and for the occurrence of this decoupling effect are discussed.