Systematics of toroidal dipole modes in Ca, Ni, Zr, and Sn isotopes

. We analyze the relation between isoscalar toroidal modes and so-called pygmy dipole resonance (PDR), which both appear in the same region of low-energy dipole excitations. To this end, we use a theoretical description within the fully self-consistent Skyrme quasiparticle random-phase approximation (QRPA). Test cases are spherical nuclei 40, 48 Ca, 58, 72 Ni, 90, 100 Zr, and 100, 120, 132 Sn which cover four different elements and for each element at least two isotopes with different neutron excess, one small and another large. The structure of the modes is investigated in terms of strength functions, transition densities (TD) and transition currents (TC). For all considered nuclei, we see that, independently on whether PDR strength exists or not, the flow pattern in the lower part of the “PDR energy region” is basically an isoscalar vortical toroidal motion with a minor irrotational fraction. A one-to-one correspondence between calculated TD and TC is established. The toroidal flow appears already in the uncoupled two-quasiparticle (2qp) excitations and becomes definitively strong for the QRPA modes. Altogether, we find that low-lying dipole strength often denoted as isoscalar PDR is actually an oversimplified imitation of the basically toroidal motion in nuclei with sufficient neutron excess.