We have investigated the evolution of the shell structure of nuclei in going from the r-process path to the neutron drip line within the framework of the relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov (RHB) theory. By introducing the quartic self-coupling of $\omega$ meson in the RHB theory in addition to the nonlinear scalar coupling of $\sigma$ meson, we reproduce the available data on the shell effects about the waiting-point nucleus ${}^{80}\mathrm{Zn}.$ With this approach, it is shown that the shell effects at $N=82\mathrm{}$ in the inaccessible region of the r-process path become milder as compared to the Lagrangian with the scalar self-coupling only. However, the shell effects remain stronger as compared to the quenching exhibited by the HFB+SkP approach. It is also shown that in reaching out to the extreme point at the neutron drip line, a terminal situation arises where the shell structure at the magic number is washed out significantly.

• Received 13 April 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.65.044301