Spin-isospin resonances and the neutron skin of nuclei

The Gamow-Teller resonances (GTR) and isobaric analog states (IAS) of a sequence of even-even Sn target nuclei are calculated by using the framework of the relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov model plus proton-neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation. The calculation reproduces the experimental data on ground-state properties, as well as the excitation energies of the isovector excitations. It is shown that the isotopic dependence of the energy spacings between the GTR and IAS provides direct information on the evolution of neutron-skin thickness along the Sn isotopic chain. A new method is suggested for determining the difference between the radii of the neutron and proton density distributions along an isotopic chain, based on measurement of the excitation energies of the GTR relative to the IAS.