Isovector properties of the nuclear energy density functional from the quark-meson coupling model

Abstract

Background: The Skyrme energy density functional is widely used in mean-field calculations of nuclear structure and dynamics. However, its reliance on phenomenology may compromise its isovector properties and its performance for exotic nuclear systems. Purpose: This work investigates the possibility of removing some phenomenology from the density functional by drawing on the high-energy degrees-of-freedom of the quark-meson coupling (QMC) model. The QMC model has microscopically derived isovector properties and far fewer adjustable parameters. Method: The parameters of the Skyrme interaction are fixed using the energy density functional of the QMC model, to give the Skyrme-QMC (SQMC) parameterisation. Results: Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculations of the Sn, Pb and \(N=126\) chains are reported, in which SQMC performs with an accuracy comparable to modern phenomenological functionals. Conclusions: The isovector terms of the energy density functional are significant for the binding energies of neutron-rich nuclei. The isovector dependence of the nuclear spin-orbit interaction must be taken into account for calculations of r-process nucleosynthesis abundances.