The relationship of the neutron-skin thickness to the symmetry energy and its slope

Abstract

The neutron-skin thickness of asymmetric semi-infinite nuclear matter is shown to be a function of Coulomb energy, the asymmetry-energy coefficient($J$), the slope($L$) of the asymmetry energy, and the incompressibility coefficient, in addition to he Fermi momentum and the asymmetry parameter. The relational formula is derived on the basis of the Hugenholtz-Van Hove theorem in the mean-field approximation for nuclear matter. Using the formula as a guide, the neutron-skin thickness($\delta R$) in $^{208}$Pb is examined. The linear correlation between $L$ and $\delta R$ appears as a kind of spurious ones through the model-dependent correlation of $L$ with $J$ which is included in the main components of the formula.