Spin-orbit coupling makes 28 a magic number
In calcium-40 the gap at 28 neutrons is 4.4 MeV; with it closes, while the gaps at 8 and 20 widen past 10 MeV.
W0 = 0with spin-orbit
| Quantity | Viv | Checked by |
|---|---|---|
gap 8 with | 8.92576 | without spin-orbit the gaps at 8 and 20 are above 10 MeV and wider than with it |
gap 20 with | 5.51517 | without spin-orbit the gaps at 8 and 20 are above 10 MeV and wider than with it |
gap 28 with | 4.38919 | with spin-orbit there is a gap at 28, above 3 MeV |
gap 8 without | 14.3585 | without spin-orbit the gaps at 8 and 20 are above 10 MeV and wider than with it |
gap 20 without | 11.4483 | without spin-orbit the gaps at 8 and 20 are above 10 MeV and wider than with it |
gap 28 without | 0 | without spin-orbit 28 falls inside a level: no gap |
spin_orbit_magic_28.viv
Output · native build · Oct 14, 2026 · 4.02 s
gaps_with: [8.92576, 5.51517, 4.38919] gaps_without: [14.3585, 11.4483, 0] gap_8_with: 8.92576 gap_20_with: 5.51517 gap_28_with: 4.38919 gap_8_without: 14.3585 gap_20_without: 11.4483 gap_28_without: 0
- ✓ both runs converged
- ✓ with spin-orbit there is a gap at 28, above 3 MeV
- ✓ without spin-orbit the gaps at 8 and 20 are above 10 MeV and wider than with it
- ✓ without spin-orbit 28 falls inside a level: no gap
Open in the workbenchAtlasMore science claims
- Full statement
- In calcium-40 with the SLy5 Skyrme force, the neutron single-particle spectrum has shell gaps of about 8.9 MeV at 8 neutrons, 5.5 MeV at 20 and 4.4 MeV at 28. With the spin-orbit strength set to zero, the gaps at 8 and 20 survive and widen (about 14.4 and 11.4 MeV, both above 10 MeV) while the gap at 28 disappears, because 28 then falls inside the degenerate level. The magic number 28 is made by spin-orbit splitting.
- Scope
- Hartree-Fock single-particle energies of the converged mean field of one nucleus (calcium-40, closed with or without spin-orbit) on a 0.1 fm mesh; a gap is the energy from the last level filled to the next when levels fill in order of energy, each holding neutrons. Without spin-orbit 1f and 2p sit 1.4 MeV apart, so 40 (the oscillator's magic number) would reappear as a closure. Experimental gaps and the shell structure of neutron-rich calcium are not part of the check.
- Reference
- SLy5 (Chabanat et al., Nucl. Phys. A 635, 231 (1998)) in lib/skyrme/spherical, the solver checked against its NumPy twin and against skyrme_rpa (lib/skyrme/COMPARISON.md); Mayer and Jensen's explanation of the magic numbers 28, 50, 82, 126 by spin-orbit coupling (M. G. Mayer, Phys. Rev. 75, 1969 (1949)).
claims/science/spin_orbit_magic_28.viv#26ebb40b60