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Physical Review

Number-Conserving Approximations for the Theory of the Pairing Interaction in Nuclei. II

G. Do Dang, Abraham Klein

Published Jul 22, 1966• 23 citations

Abstract

A previous study of the pairing interaction Hamiltonian by means of the equations of motion is extended. In the prior note, ground-state and single-quasiparticle properties were treated by an approximation method which was strictly particle conserving. According to the general theory, further improvement of the ground-state energies and single-particle occupation probabilities requires information about excited states of seniority zero and unity. A nonlinear, number-conserving random-phase approximation is developed for this purpose. Numerical calculations are carried out in a linearized version which is almost equivalent to the usual quasi-boson approximation. As part of the approximation, the conservation-of-particles condition is relaxed for the excited states. Results of the numerical study establish the consistency of the assumptions made and yield improved ground-state and single-particle properties. By comparison with the few models for which exact numerical results are available, the results of this paper are seen to be comparable with or superior to those of other improved approximation methods so far reported, especially so as the number of particles increases. Finally, it is pointed out that just as the results of the previous paper provide the input data for the present work, the results reported here can serve in like manner for more elaborate approximations, which are proposed.

DOI: 10.1103/physrev.147.689

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A previous study of the pairing interaction Hamiltonian by means of the equations of motion is extended. In the prior note, ground-state and single-quasiparticle properties were treated by an approximation method which was strictly particle conserving. According to the general theory, further improvement of the ground-state energies and single-particle occupation probabilities requires information about excited states of seniority zero and unity. A nonlinear, number-conserving random-phase approximation is developed for this purpose. Numerical calculations are carried out in a linearized version which is almost equivalent to the usual quasi-boson approximation. As part of the approximation, the conservation-of-particles condition is relaxed for the excited states. Results of the numerical study establish the consistency of the assumptions made and yield improved ground-state and single-particle properties. By comparison with the few models for which exact numerical results are available, the results of this paper are seen to be comparable with or superior to those of other improved approximation methods so far reported, especially so as the number of particles increases. Finally, it is pointed out that just as the results of the previous paper provide the input data for the present work, the results reported here can serve in like manner for more elaborate approximations, which are proposed.

A nonlinear generalization of the quasiparticle random phase approximation is constructed with the aim of describing anharmonic effects in the low-lying spectra of vibrational nuclei. Angular momentum zero pairing correlations of the ground state are described by a generalized BCS calculation based on a variational method. The dynamics of the vibrational states are described by the Heisenberg equations of motion for fermion pair operators; matrix elements of products of pair operators are treated by sum rule methods. Kinematical constraints are expressed by the algebra of the pair operators and by boson-like polynomial expansions for the quasiparticle conserving multipole operators in terms of the quasiparticle pair changing operators, these expansions enforcing the content of the Pauli principle. The physical basis for the choice of approximations is described. The final algorithm is organized so as to involve little more than repeated BCS-like and RPA-like calculations, converging to a self-consistent solution of the full nonlinear scheme. Detailed discussion is carried out for a modified form of the pairing plus quadrupole interaction Hamiltonian, but the method is not confined to this model.NUCLEAR STRUCTURE Approximate many-body methods applied to modified pairing plus quadrupole model. Description of vibrational spectrum of single closed shell nuclei. Equations of motion and algebraic methods.

Several powerful approaches to the study of pairing interactions are based on the relation of seniority conservation to the number-nonconserving algebra of quasi spins. In this note, we develop an algebraic number-conserving treatment utilizing the simplest number-conserving algebra, nonlinear under commutation, which follows from the quasi-spin algebra. The development is carried out in detail for a two-level model and yields encouraging numerical results in the simplest viable approximation consistent with the limit of strong pairing interaction.

Exact eigenstates of the pairing-force Hamiltonian have been calculated for

2N

particles in

2N

equispaced, doubly degenerate single-particle levels for

N=4, 8, 12, \mathrm{and} 16

. The states calculated are the ground state and the first two excited seniority-zero and seniority-two states. These states were calculated for values of the interaction strength that give pairing energies that are typical of nuclear systems. Numerical results are given for the energies and occupation probabilities of these states and are compared with the corresponding results of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory. It is shown that the BCS theory is a worse approximation for the larger values of

N

than it is for the smaller values, with errors as high as 140% (20%) for the excitation energies of the seniority-zero (-two) states. The methods used in the calculation of these states are outlined.

A method is proposed to improve the treatment of the ground-state correlations in a finite Fermi system compared with the standard random phase approximation (RPA) or earlier suggested renormalized RPA. The correlations lead to nonzero quasiparticle occupancies in the ground state. The method employs modified quasiparticles obtained by a canonical transformation of usual quasiparticles explicitly involving the quasiparticle occupation numbers. A set of equations is derived, which allows one to determine these occupation numbers along with the RPA modes. The formalism is illustrated with the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model, and a model for superconducting pairing at a finite temperature. With the new approach, the ground-state correlations are significantly reduced, the energy of the first excited state becomes closer to the exact solution around the region where the RPA collapses, and the superconducting gap monotonously decreases instead of the sharp phase transition. We discuss the effective equivalence of the interaction effects and variation of temperature for the ground-state correlations.

A single-intermediate-state (SIS) approximation is developed for dealing with the pairing Hamiltonian. With the aid of this approximation, expressions are obtained for the ground-state energy of an (

n+2

)-particle system in terms of the ground-state wave function of the

n

-particle system. Results are obtained for excited-state energies in the

n

- and ($n\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1$)-particle systems. Numerical comparisons are made with reliable results obtained with other techniques. It is observed that the results obtained from the SIS approximation are quite accurate. The SIS approximation is also used to point out one source of error inherent in the BCS solution of the pairing problem.