Dirac oscillator: An alternative basis for nuclear structure calculations
The isotropic harmonic oscillator supplemented by a strong spin-orbit interaction has been the cornerstone of nuclear structure since its inception more than seven decades ago. In this paper we introduce—or rather re-introduce—the “Dirac oscillator,” a fully relativistic basis that has all the desired attributes of the ordinary harmonic oscillator while naturally incorporating a strong spin-orbit coupling. To assess the power and flexibility of the Dirac oscillator basis in the solution of nuclear structure problems within the framework of covariant density-functional theory. Here, self-consistent calculations of binding energies and ground-state densities for a selected set of doubly magic nuclei are performed using the Dirac oscillator basis and are then compared against results obtained with the often-used Runge-Kutta method. Results obtained using the Dirac oscillator basis reproduce with high accuracy those derived using the Runge-Kutta method and suggest a clear path for a generalization to systems with axial symmetry. Although the harmonic oscillator with spin-orbit corrections has been the staple of the nuclear shell model since the beginning, the Dirac oscillator is practically unknown among the nuclear physics community. In this paper we illustrate the power and flexibility of the Dirac oscillator and suggest extensions to the study of systems without spherical symmetry, as required in constrained calculations of nuclear excitations.
- Research Organization:
- Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- FG02-92ER40750
- OSTI ID:
- 1850032
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. C, Vol. 102, Issue 5; ISSN 2469-9985
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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