Surface effects in nuclear Cooper pair formation

The formation of Cooper pairs resulting from the exchange of vibrations between pairs of fermions moving in time reversal states close to the Fermi surface in a semi-infinite system of nuclear matter (slab model) with parameters adjusted so as to mimic real nuclei, leads to pairing gaps which account for a substantial fraction of the experimental value throughout the mass table. The predictions are in qualitative agreement with detailed calculations carried out for finite nuclei and testify to the central role the surface of nuclei plays in the phenomenon of nuclear superfluidity.