Constraining the neutron-proton effective mass splitting in neutron-rich matter

Abstract

Within Bombaci's phenomenological single-nucleon potential model we study the neutron-proton effective mass splitting ${m}_{n}^{*}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{m}_{p}^{*}$ in neutron-rich matter. It is shown that an effective mass splitting of ${m}_{n}^{*}<{m}_{p}^{*}$ leads to a symmetry potential that is inconsistent with the energy dependence of the Lane potential constrained by the nucleon-nucleus scattering experimental data.