English

$\Delta l =1$ coupling of single-particle orbitals in octupole deformed nuclei

Nuclear Theory 2026-04-14 v1

Abstract

Conventionally, octupole deformation in nuclei has been attributed to strong Δl=3\Delta l=3 couplings between opposite-parity single-particle orbitals. In this work, we demonstrate that the often-overlooked Δl=1\Delta l=1 mode also plays an important role. Taking orbitals near the octupole magic number N=134N = 134 as a benchmark, we systematically evaluate the Δl=1\Delta l = 1 and Δl=3\Delta l = 3 mixing ratios of the wave functions within the Nilsson model, interpreting the trends through matrix elements of the deformed potential. We introduce component-resolved single-particle octupole energy contributions, based on the Hellmann--Feynman relation, to quantify the contributions of each (Δl,Δj)(\Delta l,\Delta j) coupling. Furthermore, the impact of Δl=1\Delta l = 1 coupling on the rotational structure is demonstrated via particle-rotor model calculations for 221^{221}Ra and 223^{223}Th. Our work suggests that Δl=1\Delta l=1 and Δl=3\Delta l=3 octupole couplings act synergistically in driving reflection asymmetry, necessitating a revised paradigm for understanding octupole correlation.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2604.11265,
  title  = {$\Delta l =1$ coupling of single-particle orbitals in octupole deformed nuclei},
  author = {XuDong Wang and Bin Qi and Shouyu Wang and Chen Liu},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.11265},
  year   = {2026}
}