Linear correlations related to neutron skin thickness
Phys. Rev. C 113, 024314 – Published 11 February, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/qvsg-hqxm
Abstract
Within many-body systems governed by Skyrme density functional, we confirm that the correlations between neutron skin thickness (or charge radius difference of mirror nuclei,) and the isospin asymmetry () persistently emerge, demonstrating the parameter-independent nature of these correlations when using the Skyrme force. We further determine that the slopes of the linear or correlations (denoted as and , respectively) are also correlated to the slope of the symmetry energy (), which may offer a new approach to constrain while mitigating the influence of density irregularities in specific nuclei. The linear correlations of and are adopted to constrain to 12–44 MeV with confidence. Shape coexistence, or shape effect on charge radius, is considered to explain the experimental deviation of and some odd- from the linearity. Considering the deviation of due to shape coexistence, the range for is further narrowed to 24–40 MeV, suggesting a soft equation of state for nuclear matter.