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Based on the point-coupling density functional, the time-odd deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum (TODRHBc) is developed. Then the effects of nuclear magnetism on halo phenomenon are explored by taking the experimentally suggested deformed halo nucleus $^{31}$Ne as an example. For $^{31}$Ne, nuclear magnetism contributes 0.09 MeV to total binding energy, and the breaking of Kramers degeneracy results in 0-0.2 MeV splitting in canonical single-particle spectra. The blocked neutron level has a dominant component of $p$ wave and it is marginally bound. However, if we ignore nuclear magnetism, the level becomes unbound. This shows a subtle mechanism that nuclear magnetism changes the single-particle energies, causing a nucleus to become bound. Based on the TODRHBc results, a prolate one-neutron halo is formed around the near-spherical core in $^{31}$Ne. The nucleon current is mostly contributed by the halo rather than the core, except near the center of the nucleus. A layered structure in the neutron current distribution is observed and studied in detail., Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures

The mass table in the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum (DRHBc) with the PC-PK1 density functional has been established for even-$Z$ nuclei with $8\le Z\le120$, extended from the previous work for even-even nuclei [Zhang $\it{et.~al.}$ (DRHBc Mass Table Collaboration), At. Data Nucl. Data Tables 144, 101488 (2022)]. The calculated binding energies, two-nucleon and one-neutron separation energies, root-mean-square (rms) radii of neutron, proton, matter, and charge distributions, quadrupole deformations, and neutron and proton Fermi surfaces are tabulated and compared with available experimental data. A total of 4829 even-$Z$ nuclei are predicted to be bound, with an rms deviation of 1.477 MeV from the 1244 mass data. Good agreement with the available experimental odd-even mass differences, $\alpha$ decay energies, and charge radii is also achieved. The description accuracy for nuclear masses and nucleon separation energies as well as the prediction for drip lines is compared with the results obtained from other relativistic and nonrelativistic density functional. The comparison shows that the DRHBc theory with PC-PK1 provides an excellent microscopic description for the masses of even-$Z$ nuclei. The systematics of the nucleon separation energies, odd-even mass differences, pairing energies, two-nucleon gaps, $\alpha$ decay energies, rms radii, quadrupole deformations, potential energy curves, neutron density distributions, and neutron mean-field potentials are discussed., Comment: 394 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables, published in Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables, data file in the TXT form is available for download under "Ancillary files"

The aim of this work is to extend the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum (DRHBc) based on the point-coupling density functionals to odd-$A$ and odd-odd nuclei and examine its applicability by taking odd-$A$ Nd isotopes as examples. In the DRHBc theory, the densities and potentials with axial deformation are expanded in terms of Legendre polynomials, and the relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov equations are solved in a Dirac Woods-Saxon basis to include the continuum effects. For an odd-$A$ or odd-odd nucleus, the blocking effect of unpaired nucleon(s) is taken into account with the equal filling approximation. To determine its ground state, an automatic blocking procedure is adopted, in which the orbital with the lowest quasiparticle energy is blocked during the iteration. This procedure is justified by comparing with the results from the orbital-fixed blocking calculations, in which the blocked orbital near the Fermi surface is fixed during the iteration. The ground states for both light and heavy nuclei can be provided by the automatic blocking procedure as the orbital-fixed blocking procedure, but with considerably reduced computational cost. The numerical details for even-even nuclei are found to be valid for odd-$A$ and odd-odd nuclei as well. Taking Nd isotopes including both even-even and odd-$A$ ones as examples, the calculated ground-state properties with PC-PK1 are in good agreement with the available experimental data. This work paves the way to construct the DRHBc mass table including all even-even, odd-$A$ and odd-odd nuclei in the nuclear chart., Comment: 39 pages, 13 figures, and 1 table

Ground-state properties of even-even nuclei with $8\le Z\le120$ from the proton drip line to the neutron drip line have been investigated using the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum (DRHBc) with the density functional PC-PK1. With the effects of deformation and continuum included simultaneously, 2583 even-even nuclei are predicted to be bound. The calculated binding energies, two-nucleon separation energies, root-mean-square (rms) radii of neutron, proton, matter, and charge distributions, quadrupole deformations, and neutron and proton Fermi surfaces are tabulated and compared with available experimental data. The rms deviation from the 637 mass data is 1.518 MeV, providing one of the best microscopic descriptions for nuclear masses. The drip lines obtained from DRHBc calculations are compared with other calculations, including the spherical relativistic continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov (RCHB) and triaxial relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov (TRHB) calculations with PC-PK1. The deformation and continuum effects on the limits of the nuclear landscape are discussed. Possible peninsulas consisting of bound nuclei beyond the two-neutron drip line are predicted. The systematics of the two-nucleon separation energies, two-nucleon gaps, rms radii, quadrupole deformations, potential energy curves, neutron densities, neutron mean-field potentials, and pairing energies in the DRHBc calculations are also discussed. In addition, the $\alpha$ decay energies extracted are in good agreement with available data., Comment: 217 pages, 15 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables, data file in the TXT form is available for download under "Ancillary files"

The predictive power of the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum (DRHBc) for nuclear mass is examined in the superheavy region, $102 \le Z \le 120$. The accuracy of predicting the 10 (56) measured (measured and empirical) masses is $0.635$ ($0.642$) MeV, in comparison with $0.515$ ($1.360$) MeV by WS4 and $0.910$ ($2.831$) MeV by FRDM. Possible stability against multineutron emission beyond the two-neutron drip line is explored by the DRHBc theory, which takes into account simultaneously the deformation effects, the pairing correlations, and the continuum effects. Nuclei stable against two- and multineutron emissions beyond the two-neutron drip line are predicted in $_{106}$Sg, $_{108}$Hs, $_{110}$Ds, and $_{112}$Cn isotopic chains, forming a peninsula of stability adjacent to the nuclear mainland. This stability is mainly due to the deformation which significantly affects the shell structure around the Fermi surface. The pairing correlations and continuum influence the stability peninsula in a self-consistent way., Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, minor updates according to the published version

The aim of this work is to develop the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum (DRHBc) theory based on the point-coupling density functionals and extend it to provide a unified description for all even-even nuclei in the nuclear chart by overcoming all possible challenges. The nuclear superfluidity is considered via Bogoliubov transformation. Densities and potentials are expanded in terms of Legendre polynomials to include the axial deformation degrees of freedom. Sophisticated relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov equations in coordinate space are solved in the DiracWoods-Saxon basis to consider the continuum effects. Numerical checks are performed from light nuclei to heavy nuclei. The techniques to construct the DRHBc mass table for even-even nuclei are explored. The DRHBc theory is extended to study heavier nuclei beyond magnesium isotopes. Taking Nd isotopes as examples, the experimental binding energies, two-neutron separation energies, quadrupole deformations, and charge radii are reproduced rather well. The deformation and continuum play essential roles in the description of nuclear masses and prediction of drip-line nuclei. By examining the single-particle levels in the canonical basis and their contributions to the total density, the thickness of the neutron skin, the particles number in continuum, and the Coulomb barrier, the exotic structures including the neutron skin and the proton radioactivity are predicted., Comment: 45 pages, 17 figures, and 1 table, accepted version for Physical Review C

The deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum (DRHBc) has been proved one of the best models to probe the exotic structures in deformed nuclei. In DRHBc, the potentials and densities are expressed in terms of the multipole expansion with Legendre polynomials, the dependence on which has only been touched for light nuclei so far. In this paper, taking a light nucleus $^{20}$Ne and a heavy nucleus $^{242}$U as examples, we investigated the dependence on the multipole expansion of the potentials and densities in DRHBc. It is shown that the total energy converges well with the expansion truncation both in the absence of and presence of the pairing correlation, either in the ground state or at a constrained quadrupole deformation. It is found that to reach a same accuracy of the total energy, even to a same relative accuracy by percent, a larger truncation is required by a heavy nucleus than a light one. The dependence of the total energy on the truncation increases with deformation. By decompositions of the neutron density distribution, it is shown that a higher-order component has a smaller contribution. With the increase of deformation, the high-order components get larger, while at the same deformation, the high-order components of a heavy nucleus play a more important role than that of a light one., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Int. J. Mod. Phys. E

Particles in the classically forbidden regions are studied based on the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum with PC-PK1 for magnesium isotopes. By analyzing the neutron and proton radii, it is found that the largest deviations from the empirical values appear at the predicted neutron halo nuclei $^{42}$Mg and $^{44}$Mg. Consistently, notable increases at $^{42}$Mg and $^{44}$Mg are found in the total number of neutrons in the classically forbidden regions that includes the number of neutrons in continuum. It is shown that the deformation effect, in general, increases the number of particles in the classically forbidden regions below the continuum threshold. The most deeply bound single-particle states play the dominant roles in the increase caused by deformation., Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Physical Review C

Tensor force is an important component in the nucleon-nucleon interaction, nevertheless, the role of the tensor force in the spin properties in finite nuclei is much less clear. In this report, we mainly focus on our recent progress on this topic about the relativistic Brueckner-Hartree-Fock theory and the corresponding tensor effects on the spin-orbit splittings in neutron drops. This will serve as an important guide for future microscopic derivations of the relativistic and non-relativistic nuclear energy density functionals., Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, presentation in the IIRC Symposium "Perspectives of the Physics of Nuclear Structure", Tokyo, Japan, November 1-4, 2017

The spin symmetry in the Dirac sea has been investigated with relativistic Brueckner-Hartree-Fock theory using the bare nucleon-nucleon interaction. Taking the nucleus $^{16}$O as an example and comparing the theoretical results with the data, the definition of the single-particle potential in the Dirac sea is studied in detail. It is found that if the single-particle states in the Dirac sea are treated as occupied states, the ground state properties are in better agreement with experimental data. Moreover, in this case, the spin symmetry in the Dirac sea is better conserved and it is more consistent with the findings using phenomenological relativistic density functionals., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures

Neutron drops confined in an external field are studied in the framework of relativistic Brueckner-Hartree-Fock theory using the bare nucleon-nucleon interaction. The ground state energies and radii of neutron drops with even numbers from $N = 4$ to $N=50$ are calculated and compared with results obtained from other nonrelativistic \textit{ab initio} calculations and from relativistic density functional theory. Special attention has been paid to the magic numbers and to the sub-shell closures. The single-particle energies are investigated and the monopole effect of the tensor force on the evolutions of the spin-orbit and the pseudospin-orbit splittings is discussed. The results provide interesting insight of neutron rich systems and can form an important guide for future density functionals., Comment: 31 pages, 12 figures

A systematic and specific pattern due to the effects of the tensor forces is found in the evolution of spin-orbit splittings in neutron drops. This result is obtained from relativistic Brueckner-Hartree-Fock theory using the bare nucleon-nucleon interaction. It forms an important guide for future microscopic derivations of relativistic and nonrelativistic nuclear energy density functionals., Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures

Starting from the relativistic form of the Bonn potential as a bare nucleon-nucleon interaction, the full Relativistic Brueckner-Hartree-Fock (RBHF) equations are solved for finite nuclei in a fully self-consistent basis. This provides a relativistic ab initio calculation of the ground state properties of finite nuclei without any free parameters and without three-body forces. The convergence properties for the solutions of these coupled equations are discussed in detail at the example of the nucleus $^{16}$O. The binding energies, radii, and spin-orbit splittings of the doubly magic nuclei $^{4}$He, $^{16}$O, and $^{40}$Ca are calculated and compared with the earlier RBHF calculated results in a fixed Dirac Woods-Saxon basis and other non-relativistic ab initio calculated results based on pure two-body forces., Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures

Starting with a bare nucleon-nucleon interaction, for the first time the full relativistic Brueckner-Hartree-Fock equations are solved for finite nuclei in a Dirac-Woods-Saxon basis. No free parameters are introduced to calculate the ground-state properties of finite nuclei. The nucleus $^{16}$O is investigated as an example. The resulting ground-state properties, such as binding energy and charge radius, are considerably improved as compared with the non-relativistic Brueckner-Hartree-Fock results and much closer to the experimental data. This opens the door for \emph{ab initio} covariant investigations of heavy nuclei.

It is an interesting and open problem to trace the origin of the pseudospin symmetry in nuclear single-particle spectra and its symmetry breaking mechanism in actual nuclei. In this report, we mainly focus on our recent progress on this topic by combining the similarity renormalization group technique, supersymmetric quantum mechanics, and perturbation theory. We found that it is a promising direction to understand the pseudospin symmetry in a quantitative way., Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, Proceedings of the XX International School on Nuclear Physics, Neutron Physics and Applications, Varna, Bulgaria, 16-22 September, 2013

Nuclear masses ranging from O to Ti isotopes are systematically investigated with relativistic continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov (RCHB) theory, which can provide a proper treatment of pairing correlations in the presence of the continuum. From O to Ti isotopes, there are 402 nuclei predicted to be bound by the density functional PC-PK1. For the 234 nuclei with mass measured, the root mean square (rms) deviation is 2.23 MeV. It is found that the proton drip-lines predicted with various mass models are roughly the same and basically agree with the observation. The neutron drip-lines predicted, however, are quite different. Due to the continuum couplings, the neutron drip-line nuclei predicted are extended further neutron-rich than other mass models. By comparison with finite-range droplet model (FRDM), the neutron drip-line nucleus predicted by RCHB theory has respectively 2(O), 10(Ne), 10(Na), 6(Mg), 8(Al), 6(Si), 8(P), 6(S), 14(K), 10(Ca), 10(Sc), and 12(Ti) more neutrons., Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, SCIENCE CHINA Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy, in press

Following a previous paper [Haozhao Liang \textit{et al.}, Phys. Rev. C \textbf{87}, 014334 (2013)], we discuss the spin-orbit effects on the pseudospin symmetry (PSS) within the framework of supersymmetric quantum mechanics. By using the perturbation theory, we demonstrate that the perturbative nature of PSS maintains when a substantial spin-orbit potential is included. With the explicit PSS-breaking potential, the spin-orbit effects on the pseudospin-orbit splittings are investigated in a quantitative way., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures