Magicity of neutron-rich nuclei within relativistic self-consistent approaches

Abstract The formation of new shell gaps in intermediate mass neutron-rich nuclei is investigated within the relativistic Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov theory, and the role of the Lorentz pseudo-vector and tensor interactions is analyzed. Based on the Foldy–Wouthuysen transformation, we discuss in detail the role played by the different terms of the Lorentz pseudo-vector and tensor interactions in the appearing of the N = 16 , 32 and 34 shell gaps. The nuclei 24 O, 48 Si and 52,54 Ca are predicted with a large shell gap and zero ( 24 O, 52 Ca) or almost zero ( 48 Si, 54 Ca) pairing gap, making them candidates for new magic numbers in exotic nuclei. We find from our analysis that the Lorentz pseudo-vector and tensor interactions induce very specific evolutions of single-particle energies, which could clearly sign their presence and reveal the need for relativistic approaches with exchange interactions.