No abstract

Proton radii of 12−19 C densities derived from first accurate charge changing cross section measurements at 900A MeV with a carbon target are reported. A thick neutron surface evolves from ∼ 0.5 fm in 15 C to ∼ 1 fm in 19 C. The halo radius in 19 C is found to be 6.4±0.7 fm as large as 11 Li. Ab initio calculations based on chiral nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon forces reproduce well the radii.

The nuclear shell structure, which originates in the nearly independent motion of nucleons in an average potential, provides an important guide for our understanding of nuclear structure and the underlying nuclear forces. Its most remarkable fingerprint is the existence of the so-called magic numbers of protons and neutrons associated with extra stability. Although the introduction of a phenomenological spin–orbit (SO) coupling force in 1949 helped in explaining the magic numbers, its origins are still open questions. Here, we present experimental evidence for the smallest SO-originated magic number (subshell closure) at the proton number six in 13–20C obtained from systematic analysis of point-proton distribution radii, electromagnetic transition rates and atomic masses of light nuclei. Performing ab initio calculations on 14,15C, we show that the observed proton distribution radii and subshell closure can be explained by the state-of-the-art nuclear theory with chiral nucleon–nucleon and three-nucleon forces, which are rooted in the quantum chromodynamics.

Proton inelastic scattering off a neutron halo nucleus, 11 Li, has been studied in inverse kinematics at the IRIS facility at TRIUMF. The aim was to establish a soft dipole resonance and to obtain its dipole strength. Using a high quality 66 MeV 11 Li beam, a strongly populated excited state in 11 Li was observed at E x =0.80 ± 0.02 MeV with a width of Γ = 1.15 ± 0.06 MeV. A DWBA (distorted-wave Born approximation) analysis of the measured differential cross section with isoscalar macroscopic form factors leads to conclude that this observed state is excited in an electric dipole (E1) transition. Under the assumption of isoscalar E1 transition, the strength is evaluated to be ex- * Corresponding author.