Measuring neutron skin by grazing isobaric collisions

Abstract

Neutron skin thickness ($\Delta r_{\mathrm{np}}$) of nuclei and the inferred nuclear symmetry energy are of critical importance to nuclear physics and astrophysics. It is traditionally measured by nuclear processes with significant theoretical uncertainties. We recently proposed an indirect measurement of the $\Delta r_{\mathrm{np}}$ by charged hadron multiplicities in central isobaric collisions at relativistic energies, which are sensitive to nuclear densities. In this Letter, we propose a direct measurement of the $\Delta r_{\mathrm{np}}$ by using net-charge multiplicities in ultra-peripheral (grazing) collisions of those isobars, under the assumption that they are simple superimposition of nucleon-nucleon interactions. We illustrate this novel approach by the TRENTO and URQMD models.

5 pages, 4 figures, version published in PRC

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• Probing nuclear structure with mean transverse momentum in relativistic isobar collisions
• Probing the nuclear deformation with three-particle asymmetric cumulant in RHIC isobar runs
• Influence of nuclear structure in relativistic heavy-ion collisions
• Examination of nucleon distribution with Bayesian imaging for isobar collisions
• Photoproduction of $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ in peripheral isobar collisions