Low-energy structure and $β$ decay properties of neutron-rich nuclei in the region of a shape phase transition

Abstract

The low-energy structure and $β$ decay properties of the neutron-rich even-mass nuclei near the neutron number $N=60$ that are experimentally of much interest are investigated within the framework of the nuclear density functional theory and the interacting boson-fermion-fermion model. By using the results of the constrained self-consistent mean-field calculations based on the relativistic energy density functional, the interacting-boson Hamiltonian describing the even-even core nuclei, the boson-fermion, and the fermion-fermion interactions are determined. The Gamow-Teller transition strengths, with the corresponding operator being constructed without introducing further phenomenological adjustment, are computed by using the wave functions of the initial and final nuclei of the $β$ decay. The triaxial quadrupole potential energy surfaces computed for the $N=60$ even-even isotones suggest a pronounced $γ$ softness. The calculated energy spectra for the even-even and odd-odd nuclei in the Rb to Cd isotopic chains exhibit an abrupt change in nuclear structure around $N=60$, as suggested experimentally. The predicted $β$-decay $\log{}_{10}ft$ values underestimate the measured values for the nuclei with low $Z$ and with $N \leqslant 60$, exhibit a rapid increase for $N>60$, reflecting the nuclear structure evolution, and agree rather well with the measured values for those nuclei with $Z$ being not far from the proton major shell closure $Z=50$. Sensitivity of the predicted $β$-decay properties to the model assumptions and parameters employed in the nuclear structure calculations is discussed, specifically, by comparing results obtained based on the different choices of the underlying energy density functional.