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The use of quantality is discussed in the case of nuclei and other many-body systems such as atomic electrons. This dimensionless quantity is known to indicate when a many-body system behaves like a crystal or a quantum liquid. Its role is further analyzed by showing its relation to the scattering length. The emergence of a fundamental lengthscale, the limit radius, is also shown. It corresponds to the hard-core of the nucleon-nucleon interaction in the case of nucleons, and to a value close to the Bohr radius in the case of atomic electrons. The occurrence of a cluster phase in nuclei is analyzed using the quantality through its relation to the localization parameter, allowing for the identification of both the number of nucleons and the density as control parameters for the occurrence of this phase. The relation of the quantality to the magnitude of the interaction also exhibits a third dimensionless parameter, monitoring the magnitude of the spin-orbit effect in finite systems, through the realization of the pseudo-spin symmetry. The impact of quantality on the spin-orbit effect is compared in various many-body systems. The role of quantality in the relative effect of the binding energy and the shell one is also analyzed in nuclei. Finally, additional dimensionless quantities are proposed from the generalization of the quantality. Nuclei are found to be exceptional systems because all their dimensionless quantities are close to the order of unity, at variance with other many-body systems., Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures

Alpha and cluster decays are analyzed for heavy nuclei located above $^{208}$Pb on the chart of nuclides: $^{216-220}$Rn and $^{220-224}$Ra, that are also candidates for observing the $2 \alpha$ decay mode. A microscopic theoretical approach based on relativistic Energy Density Functionals (EDF), is used to compute axially-symmetric deformation energy surfaces as functions of quadrupole, octupole and hexadecupole collective coordinates. Dynamical least-action paths for specific decay modes are calculated on the corresponding potential energy surfaces. The effective collective inertia is determined using the perturbative cranking approximation, and zero-point and rotational energy corrections are included in the model. The predicted half-lives for $\alpha$-decay are within one order of magnitude of the experimental values. In the case of single $\alpha$ emission, the nuclei considered in the present study exhibit least-action paths that differ significantly up to the scission point. The differences in alpha-decay lifetimes are not only driven by Q values, but also by variances of the least-action paths prior to scission. In contrast, the $2 \alpha$ decay mode presents very similar paths from equilibrium to scission, and the differences in lifetimes are mainly driven by the corresponding Q values. The predicted $^{14}$C cluster decay half-lives are within three orders of magnitudes of the empirical values, and point to a much more complex pattern compared to the alpha-decay mode., Comment: 9 pages, 13 figures

Background: The study of additional terms in functionals is relevant to better describe nuclear structure phenomenology. Among these terms, the tensor one is known to impact nuclear structure properties, especially in neutron-rich nuclei. However, its effect has not been studied on the whole nuclear chart yet. Purpose: The impact of terms corresponding to the tensor at the Hartree level, is studied for infinite nuclear matter as well as deformed nuclei, by developing new density-dependent functionals including these terms. In particular, we study in details the improvement such a term can bring to the description of specific nuclear observables. Methods: The framework of covariant energy density functional is used at the Hartree-Bogoliubov level. The free parameters of covariant functionals are optimized by combining Markov-Chain-Monte-Carlo and simplex algorithms. Results: An improvement of the RMS binding energies, spin-orbit splittings and gaps is obtained over the nuclear chart, including axially deformed ones, when including tensors terms. Small modifications of the potential energy surface and densities are also found. In infinite matter, the Dirac mass is shifted to a larger value, in better agreement with experiments. Conclusions: Taking into account additional terms corresponding to the tensor terms in the vector-isoscalar channel at the Hartree level, improves the description of nuclear properties, both in nuclei and in nuclear matter.

The nucleonic localization function has been used for a decade to study the formation of alpha-particles in nuclei, by providing a measure of having nucleons of a given spin in a single place. However, differences in interpretation remain, compared to the nucleonic density of the nucleus. In order to better understand the respective role of the nucleonic localization function and the densities in the alpha-particle formation in cluster states or in alpha-decay mechanism, both an analytic approximation and microscopic calculations, using energy density functionals, are undertaken. The nucleonic localization function is shown to measure the anti-centrifugal effect, and is not sensitive to the level of compactness of the alpha-particle itself. It probes the purity of the spatial overlap of four nucleons in the four possible (spin, isospin) states. The density provides, in addition, information on the compactness of an alpha-particle cluster. The respective roles of the nucleonic localization function and the density are also analyzed in the case of alpha-particle emission. More generally, criteria to assess the prediction of alpha-cluster in nuclear states are provided., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures

Recently, ab initio techniques have been successfully connected to the traditional valence-space shell model. In doing so, they can either explicitly provide ab initio shell-model effective Hamiltonians or constrain the construction of empirical ones. In the present work, the possibility to follow a similar path for the nuclear energy density functional (EDF) method is analyzed. For this connection to be actualized, two theoretical techniques are instrumental: the recently proposed ab initio PGCM-PT many-body formalism and the MR-IMSRG pre-processing of the nuclear Hamiltonian. Based on both formal arguments and numerical results, possible new lines of research are briefly discussed, namely to compute ab initio EDF effective Hamiltonians at low computational cost, to constrain empirical ones or to produce them directly via an effective field theory that remains to be invented., Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures

Ab initio approaches to the nuclear many-body problem have seen their reach considerably extended over the past decade. However, collective excitations have been scarcely addressed so far due to the prohibitive cost of solving the corresponding equations of motion. Here, a numerically efficient method to compute electromagnetic response functions at zero- and finite-temperature in superfluid and deformed nuclei from an ab initio standpoint is presented and applied to $^{16}$O, $^{28}$Si, $^{46}$Ti and $^{56}$Fe. This work opens the path to systematic ab initio calculations of nuclear responses to electroweak probes across a significant portion of the nuclear chart., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures

Background : Several recent experiments report significant low-energy isoscalar monopole strength, below the giant resonance, in various nuclei. In light $\alpha$-conjugate nuclei, these low-energy resonances were recently interpreted as cluster vibration modes. However, the nature of these excitations in neutron-rich nuclei remain elusive. Purpose : The present work provides a systematic analysis of the low-energy monopole strength in isotopic chains, from Neon to Germanium, in order to monitor and understand its nature and conditions of emergence. Methods : We perform covariant quasiparticle random phase approximation (QRPA) calculations, formulated within the finite amplitude method (FAM), on top of constrained relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov (RHB) reference states. Results : Neutron excess leads to the appearance of low-energy excitations according to a systematic pattern reflecting the single-particle features of the underlying RHB reference state. With the onset of deformation, these low-energy resonances get split and give rise to more complex patterns, with possible mixing with the giant resonance. At lower energy, cluster-like excitations found in $N=Z$ systems survive in neutron-rich nuclei, with valence neutrons arranging in molecular-like orbitals. Finally, at very low energy, pair excitations are also found in superfluid nuclei, but remain negligible in most of the cases. Conclusions : The low-energy part of the monopole strength exhibits various modes, from cluster vibrations ($\sim$ 5-10 MeV) to components of the giant resonance downshifted by the onset of deformation, including soft modes ($\sim$ 10-15 MeV) as well as pair excitation ($<$ 5 MeV), with possible mixing, depending on neutron-excess, deformation, and pairing energy., Comment: 15 pages, 17 figures

Significant transition strength in light $\alpha$-conjugate nuclei at low energy, typically below 10 MeV, has been observed in many experiments. In this work the isoscalar low-energy response of N=Z nuclei is explored using the Finite Amplitude Method (FAM) based on the microscopic framework of nuclear energy density functionals. Depending on the multipolarity of the excitation and the equilibrium deformation of a particular isotope, the low-energy strength functions display prominent peaks that can be attributed to vibration of cluster structures: $\alpha$+$^{12}$C+$\alpha$ and $\alpha$+$^{16}$O in $^{20}$Ne, $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C in $^{24}$Mg, 4$\alpha$+$^{12}$C in $^{28}$Si, etc. Such cluster excitations are favored in light nuclei with large deformation.

The reduction of the neutron spin-orbit splitting $2p_{3/2} - 2p_{1/2}$ between the $^{41}$Ca and $^{35}$Si isotones is a unique feature throughout the chart of nuclides, as the spin-orbit splitting usually increases with $A$. Moreover, its way of decrease, gradual between $^{41}$Ca and $^{35}$Si or abrupt between $^{37}$S and $^{35}$Si, as well as its origin, caused by the weak binding energy of the $p$ states or by the sudden central proton density depletion in $^{35}$Si, are subject of debate. The results reported here using the self-consistent Covariant Energy Density Functional calculations with the DD-ME2 parametrization rather point to an abrupt, local decrease in $^{35}$Si, and to the large dominance of the central density depletion effect. It is concluded that weak binding, central density depletion as well as correlations must be taken into account to fully evaluate the amplitude and causes of this spin-orbit reduction., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, to be submitted to Phys.Lett.B

A microscopic calculation of half-lives for the recently observed $^{108}$Xe $\to$ $^{104}$Te $\to$ $^{100}$Sn $\alpha$-decay chain is performed using a self-consistent framework based on energy density functionals. The relativistic density functional DD-PC1 and a separable pairing interaction of finite range are used to compute axially-symmetric deformation energy surfaces of $^{104}$Te and $^{108}$Xe as functions of quadrupole, octupole and hexadecupole collective coordinates. Dynamic least-action paths are determined that trace the $\alpha$-particle emission from the equilibrium deformation to the point of scission. The calculated half-lives: 197 ns for $^{104}$Te and 50 $\mu$s for $^{108}$Xe, are compared to recent experimental values of the half-lives of superallowed $\alpha$-decay of $^{104}$Te: $< 18$ ns, and $^{108}$Xe: 58$^{+106}_{-23}$ $\mu$s., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

Relativistic energy density functional approaches are known to well describe nuclear states which involve alpha clusters. Here, alpha emitting nuclei are analysed through the behavior of the spatial localisation of nucleonic states, calculated with an axially deformed RHB approach over the nuclear chart. The systematic occurrence of more localised valence states, having a n = 1 radial quantum number, allows to pinpoint nuclei in agreement with experimentally known alpha-emitters. The cases of 212Po and 104Te are investigated, showing the concomitant contributions of the pseudospin symmetry and the presence of n = 1 states, on the alpha preformation probability. The impact of the localisation of valence states, on alpha preformation probability, is then analysed. It allows to study shell effects on this probability, over isotopic and isotonic chains. Finally, a phenomenological law is also provided, relating this probability to the radial quantum number of the valence states., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures

When the density of a nuclear system is decreased, homogeneous states undergo the so-called Mott transition towards clusterised states, e.g. alpha clustering, both in nuclei and in nuclear matter. Here we investigate such a quantum phase transition (QPT) by using microscopic energy density functional (EDF) calculations both with the relativistic and the Gogny approaches on the diluted $^{16}$O nucleus. The evolution of the corresponding single-particle spectrum under dilution is studied, and a Mott-like transition is predicted at about 1/3 of the saturation density. Complementary approaches are used in order to understand this QPT. A study of spatial localisation properties as a function of the density allows to derive a value of the Mott density in agreement with the one obtained by fully microscopic calculations in $^{16}$O and in nuclear matter. Moreover a study of the spontaneous symmetry breaking of the rotational group in $^{16}$O, down to the discrete tetrahedral one, provides further insight on the features displayed by the single-particle spectrum obtained within the EDF approach.The content of the tetrahedrally deformed A-nucleon product state in terms of spherical particle-hole configurations is investigated. Finally a study of quartet condensation and the corresponding macroscopic QPT is undertaken in infinite matter., Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures

We demonstrate that a committee of deep neural networks is capable of predicting the ground-state and excited energies of more than 1800 atomic nuclei with an accuracy akin to the one achieved by state-of-the-art nuclear energy density functionals (EDFs) and a major speed-up. An active learning strategy is proposed to train this algorithm with a minimal set of 210 nuclei. This approach enables future fast studies of the influence of EDFs parametrizations on structure properties over the whole nuclear chart and suggests that for the first time an artificial intelligence successfully encoded the laws of nuclear deformation.

The spatial dispersion of the single-nucleon wave functions is analyzed using the self-consistent mean-field framework based on nuclear energy density functionals, and with the harmonic oscillator approximation for the nuclear potential. It is shown that the dispersion depends on the radial quantum number n, but displays only a very weak dependence on the orbital angular momentum. An analytic expression is derived for the localization parameter that explicitly takes into account the radial quantum number of occupied single-nucleon states. The conditions for single-nucleon localization and formation of cluster structures are fulfilled in relatively light nuclei with $A \leq 30$ and $n=1$ states occupied. Heavier nuclei exhibit the quantum liquid phase of nucleonic matter because occupied levels that originate from $n > 1$ spherical states are largely delocalized. Nevertheless, individual $\alpha$-like clusters can be formed from valence nucleons filling single-particle levels originating from $n=1$ spherical mean-field states., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

We analyze the localization properties of two-body correlations induced by pairing in the framework of relativistic mean field (RMF) models. The spatial properties of two-body correlations are studied for the pairing tensor in coordinate space and for the Cooper pair wave function. The calculations are performed both with Relativistic-Hatree-Bogoliubov (RHB) and RMF+Projected-BCS (PBCS) models and taking as examples the nuclei $^{66}$Ni, $^{124}$Sn and $^{200}$Pb. It is shown that the coherence length have the same pattern as in previous non-relativistic HFB calculations, i.e., it is maximum in the interior of the nucleus and drops to a minimum in the surface region. In the framework of RMF+PBCS we have also analysed, for the particular case of $^{120}$Sn, the dependence of the coherence length on the intensity of the pairing force. This analysis indicates that pairing is reducing the coherence length by about 25-30 $\%$ compared to the RMF limit., Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures

The lowest positive- and negative-parity bands of $^{20}$Ne and neutron-rich even-even Ne isotopes are investigated using a theoretical framework based on energy density functionals. Starting from a self-consistent relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov calculation of axially-symmetric and reflection-asymmetric deformation energy surfaces, the collective symmetry-conserving states are built using projection techniques and the generator coordinate method. Overall a good agreement with the experimental excitation energies and transition rates is obtained. In particular, the model provides an accurate description of the excitation spectra and transition probabilities in $^{20}$Ne. The contribution of cluster configurations to the low-energy states is discussed, as well as the transitional character of the ground state. The analysis is extended to $^{22}$Ne and the shape-coexisting isotope $^{24}$Ne, and to the drip-line nuclei $^{32}$Ne and $^{34}$Ne. The role of valence neutrons in the formation of molecular-type bonds between clusters is discussed., Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures, 2 tables, Accepted for Publication in Physical Review C

Many properties of the atomic nucleus, such as vibrations, rotations and incompressibility, can be interpreted as due to a two component quantum liquid of protons and neutrons. Electron scattering measurements on stable nuclei demonstrate that their central densities are saturated, as for liquid drops. In exotic nuclei near the limits of mass and charge, with large imbalances in their proton and neutron numbers, the possibility of a depleted central density, or a 'bubble' structure, has been discussed in a recurrent manner since the 1970s. Here we report first experimental evidence that points to a depletion of the central density of protons in the short-lived nucleus 34Si. The proton-to-neutron density asymmetry in 34Si offers the possibility to place constraints on the density and isospin dependence of the spin--orbit force-on which nuclear models have disagreed for decades-and on its stabilizing effect towards limits of nuclear existence., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

Dimensionless ratios characterizing many-body systems are a powerful tool to reveal the main universal quantities involved. The recently-introduced localisation parameter allow to study the occurrence of crystal, clusterisation, and quantum liquid states in many-body systems such as nuclei. Its concomitant use with other dimensionless quantities such as the quantality, allows to pinpoint fundamental lengthscales and dimensionless ratios at work in nuclei. Within the present approach, the impact of delocalisation on nuclear saturation is discussed. The transition from a homogeneous to a clusterised state in low density systems is studied. The spin-orbit effect in nuclei and fermionic systems is also reviewed in the light of this analysis. A generalised localisation parameter is derived, showing that the delocalisation properties are not always driven by the quantality. The concepts of quantum fluidity and mobility are finally introduced., Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures

We introduce an improved model that links the frequency shift of the $^{133}\text{Cs}$ hyperfine Zeeman transitions $\vert F = 3, m_F> \longleftrightarrow \vert F = 4, m_F >$ to the Lorentz-violating Standard-Model Extension (SME) coefficients of the proton and neutron. The new model uses Lorentz transformations developed to second order in boost and additionally takes the nuclear structure into account, beyond the simple Schmidt model used previously in SME analyses, thereby providing access to both proton and neutron SME coefficients including the isotropic coefficient $\tilde{c}_{TT}$. Using this new model in a second analysis of the data delivered by the FO2 dual Cs/Rb fountain at Paris Observatory and previously analysed in arXiv:hep-ph/0601024v1, we improve by up to 12 orders of magnitude the present maximum sensitivities (see arXiv:0801.0287v9) on the $\tilde{c}_{Q}$, $\tilde{c}_{TJ}$ and $\tilde{c}_{TT}$ coefficients for the neutron and on the $\tilde{c}_{TT}$ coefficient for the proton, reaching respectively $10^{-20}$, $10^{-17}$, $10^{-13}$ and $10^{-15}$ GeV.

Background: Ab initio many-body methods have been developed over the past ten years to address mid-mass nuclei... As progress in the design of inter-nucleon interactions is made, further efforts must be made to tailor many-body methods. Methods: We formulate a truncated configuration interaction method that consists of diagonalizing the Hamiltonian in a highly truncated subspace of the total N-body Hilbert space. The reduced Hilbert space is generated via the particle-number projected BCS state along with projected seniority-zero two and four quasi-particle excitations. Furthermore, the extent by which the underlying BCS state breaks U(1) symmetry is optimized in presence of the projected two and four quasi-particle excitations... The quality of the newly designed method is tested against exact solutions of the so-called attractive pairing Hamiltonian problem. Results: By construction, the method reproduce exact results for N=2 and N=4. For N=(8,16,20) the error on the ground-state correlation energy is less than (0.006, 0.1, 0.15) % across the entire range of inter-nucleon coupling defining the pairing Hamiltonian and driving the normal-to-superfluid quantum phase transition. The presently proposed method offers the advantage to automatically access the low-lying spectroscopy, which it does with high accuracy. Conclusions: The numerical cost of the newly designed variational method is polynomial (N$^6$) in system size. It achieves an unprecedented accuracy on the ground-state correlation energy, effective pairing gap and one-body entropy as well as on the excitation energy of low-lying states of the attractive pairing Hamiltonian. This constitutes a strong enough motivation to envision its application to realistic nuclear Hamiltonians in view of providing a complementary, accurate and versatile ab initio description of mid-mass open-shell nuclei in the future., Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, full abstract available in text

Relativistic self-consistent mean-field (SCMF) models naturally account for the coupling of the nucleon spin to its orbital motion, whereas non-relativistic SCMF methods necessitate a phenomenological ansatz for the effective spin-orbit potential. Recent experimental studies aim to explore the isospin properties of the effective spin-orbit interaction in nuclei. SCMF models are very useful in the interpretation of the corresponding data, however standard relativistic mean-field and non-relativistic Hartree-Fock models use effective spin-orbit potentials with different isovector properties, mainly because exchange contributions are not treated explicitly in the former. The impact of exchange terms on the effective spin-orbit potential in relativistic mean-field models is analysed, and it is shown that it leads to an isovector structure similar to the one used in standard non-relativistic Hartree-Fock. Data on the isospin dependence of spin-orbit splittings in spherical nuclei could be used to constrain the isovector-scalar channel of relativistic mean-field models. The reproduction of the empirical kink in the isotope shifts of even Pb nuclei by relativistic effective interactions points to the occurrence of pseudospin symmetry in the single-neutron spectra in these nuclei.

Spin-orbit coupling characterizes quantum systems such as atoms, nuclei, hypernuclei, quarkonia, etc., and is essential for understanding their spectroscopic properties. Depending on the system, the effect of spin-orbit coupling on shell structure is large in nuclei, small in quarkonia, perturbative in atoms. In the standard non-relativistic reduction of the single-particle Dirac equation, we derive a universal rule for the relative magnitude of the spin-orbit effect that applies to very different quantum systems, regardless of whether the spin-orbit coupling originates from the strong or electromagnetic interaction. It is shown that in nuclei the near equality of the mass of the nucleon and the difference between the large repulsive and attractive potentials explains the fact that spin-orbit splittings are comparable to the energy spacing between major shells. For a specific ratio between the particle mass and the effective potential whose gradient determines the spin-orbit force, we predict the occurrence of giant spin-orbit energy splittings that dominate the single-particle excitation spectrum.

This programmatic paper lays down the possibility to reconcile the necessity to resum many-body correlations into the energy kernel with the fact that safe multi-reference energy density functional (EDF) calculations cannot be achieved whenever the Pauli principle is not strictly enforced, as is for example the case when many-body correlations are parametrized under the form of empirical density dependencies. Our proposal is to exploit a newly developed ab initio many-body formalism to guide the construction of safe, explicitly correlated and systematically improvable parametrizations of the {\it off-diagonal} energy and norm kernels that lie at the heart of the nuclear EDF method. The many-body formalism of interest relies on the concepts of symmetry breaking {\it and} restoration that have made the fortune of the nuclear EDF method and is, as such, amenable to this guidance. After elaborating on our proposal, we briefly outline the project we plan to execute in the years to come., Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures

The framework of nuclear energy density functionals is applied to a study of the formation and evolution of cluster states in nuclei. The relativistic functional DD-ME2 is used in triaxial and reflection-asymmetric relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov calculations of relatively light $N = Z$ and neutron-rich nuclei. The role of deformation and degeneracy of single-nucleon states in the formation of clusters is analysed, and interesting cluster structures are predicted in excited configurations of Be, C, O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, Ar and Ca $N = Z$ nuclei. Cluster phenomena in neutron-rich nuclei are discussed, and it is shown that in neutron-rich Be and C nuclei cluster states occur as a result of molecular bonding of $\alpha$-particles by the excess neutrons, and also that proton covalent bonding can occur in $^{10}$C.

Energies and spectroscopic factors of the first $7/2^-$, $3/2^-$, $1/2^-$ and $5/2^-$ states in the $^{35}$Si$_{21}$ nucleus were determined by means of the (d,p) transfer reaction in inverse kinematics at GANIL using the MUST2 and EXOGAM detectors. By comparing the spectroscopic information on the $^{35}$Si and $^{37}$S isotones, a reduction of the $p_{3/2} - p_{1/2}$ spin-orbit splitting by about 25% is proposed, while the $f_{7/2} -f_{5/2}$ spin-orbit splitting seems to remain constant. These features, derived after having unfolded nuclear correlations using shell model calculations, have been attributed to the properties of the 2-body spin-orbit interaction, the amplitude of which is derived for the first time in an atomic nucleus. The present results, remarkably well reproduced by using several realistic nucleon-nucleon forces, provide a unique touchstone for the modeling of the spin-orbit interaction in atomic nuclei., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters

We report on direct time-of-flight based mass measurements of 16 light neutron-rich nuclei. These include the first determination of the masses of the Borromean drip-line nuclei $^{19}$B, $^{22}$C and $^{29}$F as well as that of $^{34}$Na. In addition, the most precise determinations to date for $^{23}$N and $^{31}$Ne are reported. Coupled with recent interaction cross-section measurements, the present results support the occurrence of a two-neutron halo in $^{22}$C, with a dominant $\nu2s_{1/2}^2$ configuration, and a single-neutron halo in $^{31}$Ne with the valence neutron occupying predominantly the 2$p_{3/2}$ orbital. Despite a very low two-neutron separation energy the development of a halo in $^{19}$B is hindered by the 1$d_{5/2}^2$ character of the valence neutrons., Comment: 5 pages

Using the framework of nuclear energy density functionals we examine the conditions for single-nucleon localization and formation of cluster structures in finite nuclei. We propose to characterize localization by the ratio of the dispersion of single-nucleon wave functions to the average inter-nucleon distance. This parameter generally increases with mass and describes the gradual transition from a hybrid phase in light nuclei, characterized by the spatial localization of individual nucleon states that leads to the formation of cluster structures, toward the Fermi liquid phase in heavier nuclei. Values of the localization parameter that correspond to a crystal phase cannot occur in finite nuclei. Typical length and energy scales in nuclei allow the formation of liquid drops, clusters, and halo structures., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

Nucleonic matter displays a quantum liquid structure, but in some cases finite nuclei behave like molecules composed of clusters of protons and neutrons. Clustering is a recurrent feature in light nuclei, from beryllium to nickel. For instance, in $^{12}$C the Hoyle state, crucial for stellar nucleosynthesis, can be described as a nuclear molecule consisting of three alpha-particles. The mechanism of cluster formation, however, has not yet been fully understood. We show that the origin of clustering can be traced back to the depth of the confining nuclear potential. By employing the theoretical framework of energy density functionals that encompasses both cluster and quantum liquid-drop aspects of nuclei, it is shown that the depth of the potential determines the energy spacings between single-nucleon orbitals, the localization of the corresponding wave functions and, therefore, the degree of nucleonic density clustering. Relativistic functionals, in particular, are characterized by deep single-nucleon potentials. When compared to non-relativistic functionals that yield similar ground-state properties (binding energy, deformation, radii), they predict the occurrence of much more pronounced cluster structures. More generally, clustering is considered as a transitional phenomenon between crystalline and quantum liquid phases of fermionic systems., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted for publication

The Relativistic Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov model for axially deformed nuclei (RHFBz) is introduced. The model is based on an effective Lagrangian with density-dependent meson-nucleon couplings in the particle-hole channel, and the pairing part of the Gogny force is used in the pairing channel. The RHFBz quasiparticle equations are solved by expansion in the basis of a deformed harmonic oscillator. Illustrative RHFBz calculations are performed for Carbon, Neon and Magnesium isotopes. The effect of the explicitly including the pion field is investigated for binding energies, deformation parameters, and charge radii., Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures