The drip lines of kaonic nuclei

TL;DR

This study explores how adding a $K^-$ meson influences the limits of nuclear stability (drip lines) for neutrons and protons, revealing extended proton drip lines and complex effects on neutron drip lines in certain isotopes.

Contribution

It introduces a combined Skyrme-Hartree-Fock approach with kaon-nucleon interactions to analyze kaonic nuclei's drip lines, highlighting the impact of $K^-$ mesons on nuclear stability boundaries.

Findings

Proton drip line extends due to attractive $K^-p$ interaction.

Neutron drip line effects vary, extending or reducing depending on isotope.

Differences are linked to neutron single-particle level behavior near the drip line.

Abstract

The effects of an additional $K^-$ meson on the neutron and proton drip lines are investigated within Skyrme-Hartree-Fock approach combined with a Skyrme-type kaon-nucleon interaction. While an extension of the proton drip line is observed due to the strongly attractive $K^-p$ interaction, contrasting effects (extension and reduction) on the neutron drip line of Be, O, and Ne isotopes are found. The origin of these differences is attributed to the behavior of the highest-occupied neutron single-particle levels near the neutron drip line.