Constraints on the nuclear symmetry energy and its density slope from the {\alpha} decay process

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the nuclear symmetry energy and its density dependence influence alpha decay, providing constraints on key parameters and explaining decay behaviors through skin thickness changes.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analysis linking symmetry energy parameters to alpha decay half-lives using Skyrme functionals and skin thickness variations.

Findings

Constraints on asym around 32 MeV

L between 41 and 57 MeV

Skin thickness change explains decay half-life oscillations

Abstract

We study the impact of the nuclear symmetry energy and its density dependence on the {\alpha}-decay process. Within the frame work of the performed cluster model and the energy density formalism, we use different parameterizations of the Skyrme energy density functionals that yield different equations of state EOSs. Each EOS is characterized by a particular symmetry-energy coefficient (asym) and a corresponding density-slope parameters L. The stepwise trends of the neutron (proton) skin thickness of the involved nuclei with both asym and L do not clarify the obtained oscillating behaviors of the {\alpha}-decay half-life T{\alpha} with them. We find that the change of the skin thickness after {\alpha}-decay satisfactory explains these behaviors. The presented results provide constrains on asym centered around an optimum value asym= 32 MeV, and on L between 41 and 57 MeV. These values of asym and L, which indicate larger reduction of the proton-skin thickness and less increase in the neutron-skin thickness after an {\alpha}-decay, yield minimum calculated half-life with the same extracted value of the {\alpha}-preformation factor inside the parent nucleus.