Theoretical study of triaxial shapes of neutron-rich Mo and Ru nuclei

Background: Whether atomic nuclei can possess triaxial shapes at their ground states is still a subject of ongoing debate. According to theory, good prospects for low-spin triaxiality are in the neutron-rich Mo-Ru region. Recently, transition quadrupole moments in rotational bands of even-mass neutron-rich isotopes of molybdenum and ruthenium nuclei have been measured. The new data have provided a challenge for theoretical descriptions invoking stable triaxial deformations. Purpose: To understand experimental data on rotational bands in the neutron-rich Mo-Ru region, we carried out theoretical analysis of moments of inertia, shapes, and transition quadrupole moments of neutron-rich even-even nuclei around Ru-110 using self-consistent mean-field and shell model techniques. Methods: To describe yrast structures in Mo and Ru isotopes, we use nuclear density functional theory (DFT) with the optimized energy density functional UNEDF0. We also apply triaxial projected shell model (TPSM) to describe yrast and positive-parity, near-yrast band structures. Results: Our self-consistent DFT calculations predict triaxial ground-state deformations in Mo-106,Mo-108 and Ru-108,Ru-110,Ru-112 and reproduce the observed low-frequency behavior of moments of inertia. As the rotational frequency increases, a negative-gamma structure, associated with the aligned nu(h(11/2))(2) pair, becomes energetically favored. The computed transition quadrupole moments vary with angular momentum, which reflects deformation changes with rotation; those variations are consistent with experiment. The TPSM calculations explain the observed band structures assuming stable triaxial shapes. Conclusions: The structure of neutron-rich even-even nuclei around Ru-110 is consistent with triaxial shape deformations. Our DFT and TPSM frameworks provide a consistent and complementary description of experimental data.