LIGHT-NUCLEI NEAR NEUTRON AND PROTON DRIP LINES IN RELATIVISTIC MEAN-FIELD THEORY

We have made a detailed study of the ground-state properties of nuclei in the light-mass region with atomic numbers Z = 10-22 in the framewo rk of the relativistic mean-field (RMF) theory. The nonlinear sigma om ega model with scalar self-interaction has been employed. The RMF calc ulations have been performed in an axially deformed configuration usin g the force NL-SH. We have considered nuclei about the stability line as well as those close to proton and neutron drip lines. It is shown t hat the RMF results provide good agreement with the available empirica l data. The RMF predictions also show reasonably good agreement with t hose of the mass models. It is observed that nuclei in this mass regio n are found to possess strong deformations and exhibit shape changes a ll along the isotopic chains. The phenomenon of shape coexistence is f ound to persist near the stability line as well as near the drip Lines . It is shown that the magic number N = 28 is quenched strongly, thus enabling the corresponding nuclei to assume strong deformations. Nucle i near the neutron and proton drip lines in this region are also shown to be strongly deformed. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.