EXPLORING EXOTIC NUCLEI IN THE MEDIUM MASS REGION AND IN NUCLEAR ASTROPHYSICS

Abstract

Studies of exotic nuclei are essential for expanding our understanding of atomic nuclei. The density profile of such exotic nuclei has been a comprehensive source of nuclear structure information. This thesis studies nuclear surface information of exotic structures like “bubble nuclei” using the high-energy scattering theory under the aegis of the Glauber model. Recently, it has been proposed that exotic neutron-rich nuclei play a vital part in synthesizing heavy elements via the r-process. The effect of bubble structure on the radiative capture reaction rate also discussed in this thesis. The Coulomb dissociation method has been proposed as a distinct method to be utilized in the process of calculating the radiative cross sections associated with low-energy nuclear breakup reactions. Six chapters and an appendix make up the current efforts. Chapter 1, contains an introduction followed by a description of exotic nuclei and their behavior. Subsequently, we briefly review the global experimental facilities around the world. In chapter 2, we will discuss a high-energy scattering theory based on the eikonal approximation, and also present the mathematical formulation of the finite-range distorted-wave Born approximation (FRDWBA) theory, which is subsequently used to calculate radiative capture reactions. In chapter 3, we will investigate the nuclear bubble structure, with nucleon-nucleus scattering, and quantify its effect on the nuclear surface profile. In chapter 4, we aim to investigate the relationship between the nuclear surface diffuseness and spectroscopic information of neutron-rich Ne and Mg isotopes at the cusp and inside the island of inversion. In chapter 5, we will explore the bubble nature of the exotic nucleus 20N and estimate the 19N(n, )20N radiative capture reaction from the Coulomb breakup of 20N on 208Pb. Chapter 6, concludes the thesis, and looks to the future. In the appendix, we will calculate the proton and the neutron intrinsic density distributions within the harmonic oscillator model. We will also show the scattering amplitude in the Glauber model with the elastic Coulomb phase shift function.