Neutron halos in the Na isotopes

Neutron radii in nuclei and the neutron equation of state

The root-mean-square radius for neutrons in nuclei is investigated in the Skyrme Hartree-Fock model. The main source of theoretical variation comes from the exchange part of the density-dependent interaction which can be related to a basic property of the neutron equation of state. A precise measurement of the neutron radius in 208Pb would place an important new constraint on the equation of state for neutron matter. The Friedman-Pandharipande neutron equation of state would lead to a very precise value of 0.16+/-0.02 fm for the difference between the neutron and the proton root-mean-square radius in 208Pb.