We present the first systematic nonlocal dispersive optical model analysis using both bound-state and scattering data of ${}^{16,18}\mathrm{O}$, ${}^{40,48}\mathrm{Ca}$, ${}^{58,64}\mathrm{Ni}$, ${}^{112,124}\mathrm{Sn}$, and ${}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$. In all systems, roughly half the total nuclear binding energy is associated with the most-bound 10% of the total nucleon density. The extracted neutron skins reveal the interplay of asymmetry, Coulomb, and shell effects on the skin thickness. Our results indicate that simultaneous optical model fits of inelastic scattering and structural data on isotopic pairs are effective for constraining asymmetry-dependent nuclear structural quantities otherwise difficult to observe experimentally.

• Received 29 May 2020
• Revised 30 June 2020
• Accepted 22 July 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.102501