Nuclear matter distributions in the neutron-rich carbon isotopes $^{14-17}$C from intermediate-energy proton elastic scattering in inverse kinematics

TL;DR

This study measures proton elastic scattering on neutron-rich carbon isotopes at high energies to determine their nuclear matter distributions and explore potential neutron halo structures, providing new insights into nuclear structure.

Contribution

It presents the first measurements of differential cross sections for these isotopes at 700 MeV/u and deduces their matter radii and density distributions using Glauber theory, revealing possible neutron halos.

Findings

Evidence for a neutron halo in $^{15}$C.

Determined matter radii for $^{12,14-17}$C.

Measured differential cross sections at high energy.

Abstract

The absolute differential cross sections for small-angle proton elastic scattering off the nuclei $^{12,14-17}$C have been measured in inverse kinematics at energies near 700 MeV/u at GSI Darmstadt. The hydrogen-filled ionization chamber IKAR served simultaneously as a gas target and a detector for the recoil protons. The projectile scattering angles were measured with multi-wire tracking detectors. The radial nuclear matter density distributions and the root-mean-square nuclear matter radii were deduced from the measured cross sections using the Glauber multiple-scattering theory. A possible neutron halo structure in $^{15}$C, $^{16}$C and $^{17}$C is discussed. The obtained data show evidence for a halo structure in the $^{15}$C nucleus.