Nuclear landscape in covariant density functional theory

TL;DR

This paper systematically investigates the proton and neutron drip lines within covariant density functional theory, comparing uncertainties with non-relativistic models and highlighting the influence of shell effects on nuclear stability boundaries.

Contribution

First systematic study of nuclear drip lines using covariant density functional theory with multiple parametrizations, analyzing uncertainties and shell effects.

Findings

Uncertainties in the two-neutron drip line are quantified and compared with non-relativistic DFT.

Shell closures at N=126 and 184 significantly reduce model uncertainties.

Shell effects strongly influence the shape and location of the two-neutron drip line.

Abstract

The neutron and proton drip lines represent the limits of the nuclear landscape. While the proton drip line is measured experimentally up to rather high $Z$-values, the location of the neutron drip line for absolute majority of elements is based on theoretical predictions which involve extreme extrapolations. The first ever systematic investigation of the location of the proton and neutron drip lines in the covariant density functional theory has been performed by employing a set of the state-of-the-art parametrizations. Calculated theoretical uncertainties in the position of two-neutron drip line are compared with those obtained in non-relativistic DFT calculations. Shell effects drastically affect the shape of two-neutron drip line. In particular, model uncertainties in the definition of two-neutron drip line at $Z\sim 54, N=126$ and $Z\sim 82, N=184$ are very small due to the impact of spherical shell closures at N=126 and 184.