Strutinsky shell correction energies in relativistic Hartree-Fock theory

The single-particle spectra in relativistic Hartree-Fock (RHF) theory are employed to extract shell correction energies with the Strutinsky method. It is found that proper box sizes R-box used in solving the RHF equations are important to extract reliable Strutinsky shell correction energies. An empirical formula to determine R-box is proposed by systematic studies on nuclei over a wide range of nuclear charts, including light, heavy, neutron-deficient, and neutron-rich nuclei. Furthermore, the shell correction energies of Ca, Pb, and Og isotopes and N = 50 isotones are calculated with proper R-box and their uncertainties due to the uncertainty of R-box are investigated as well. It is found that the results extracted by the Strutinsky method provide a reliable evaluation of the nuclear shell structure information, which can be employed to construct a macroscopic-microscopic mass model in the future.