Has a thick neutron skin in ${}^{208}$Pb been ruled out?
Abstract: The Lead Radius Experiment (PREX) has provided the first model-independent evidence in favor of a neutron-rich skin in ${}{208}$Pb. Although the error bars are large, the reported large central value of 0.33\,fm is particularly intriguing. To test whether such a thick neutron-skin in ${}{208}$Pb is already incompatible with laboratory experiments or astrophysical observations, we employ relativistic models with neutron-skin thickness in ${}{208}$Pb ranging from 0.16 to 0.33 fm to compute ground state properties of finite nuclei, their collective monopole and dipole response, and mass-{\sl vs}-radius relations for neutron stars. No compelling reason was found to rule out models with large neutron skins in ${}{208}$Pb from the set of observables considered in this work.
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