Exploring the neutron skin by hyperon-antihyperon production in antiproton-nucleus interactions

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel method to measure neutron skin thickness in isotopes by analyzing hyperon-antihyperon production in antiproton-nucleus collisions near threshold energies, offering a new probe for nuclear structure.

Contribution

It introduces a new experimental approach using hyperon-antihyperon production to determine neutron skin thickness in isotopes, linking particle production to nuclear structure.

Findings

Cross section differences reveal neutron skin variations

Method applicable to various isotopes

Potential for precise neutron skin measurements

Abstract

In this work we propose a new method to measure the evolution of the neutron skin thickness between different isotopes. We consider antiproton-nucleus interactions close to the production threshold of ${\Lambda}\overline{\Lambda}$ and ${\Sigma}\overline{\Lambda}$ pairs. At low energies, ${\Lambda}\overline{\Lambda}$ pairs are produced in p + p collisions, while ${\Sigma}\overline{\Lambda}$ pairs can only be produced in p + n interactions. Measuring these cross sections provides information on the neutron skin thickness