Neutron drip line and the equation of state of nuclear matter

Kazuhiro Oyamatsu, Kei Iida, Hiroyuki Koura

Published 2010-05-18Version 1

We investigate how the neutron drip line is related to the density dependence of the symmetry energy, by using a macroscopic nuclear model that allows us to calculate nuclear masses in a way dependent on the equation of state of asymmetric nuclear matter. The neutron drip line obtained from these masses is shown to appreciably shift to a neutron-rich side in a nuclear chart as the density derivative of the symmetry energy increases. Such shift is clearly seen for light nuclei, a feature coming mainly from the surface property of neutron-rich nuclei.