Deformed Halo of ^{29}_{9}F_{20}

TL;DR

This paper interprets the halo phenomenon in ^{29}F as evidence of prolate deformation caused by shell structure effects, contrasting with spherical shapes in oxygen isotopes due to proton number influences.

Contribution

It introduces a simple model linking halo phenomena in ^{29}F to prolate deformation driven by shell structure and proton number effects, providing new insights into nuclear shape phenomena.

Findings

Halo in ^{29}F linked to prolate deformation.

Shell structure near degeneracy of neutron levels influences shape.

Proton number determines shape preference in isotopes.

Abstract

Using a simple model based on the knowledge of spherical and deformed Woods-Saxon potentials, it is shown that the recent observation of halo phenomena in $^{29}$F can be interpreted as an evidence for the prolate deformation of the ground state of $^{29}$F. The prolate deformation is the result of the shell structure, which is unique in one-neutron resonant levels, in particular near degeneracy of the neutron 1$f_{7/2}$ and 2$p_{3/2}$ resonant levels, together with the strong preference of prolate shape by the proton number $Z$ = 9. On the other hand, in oxygen isotopes spherical shape is so much favored by the proton number $Z$ = 8 that the presence of possible neutron shell-structure may not make the system deformed. Thus, the strong preference of particular shape by the proton numbers 8 and 9, respectively, together with a considerable amount of the energy difference between the neutron $1d_{3/2}$ and $2s_{1/2}$ orbits in oxygen isotopes seems to play an important role in the phenomena of oxygen neutron drip line anomaly, as was suggested by H. Sakurai {\it et al.} in 1999.