We present an ab initio symmetry-adapted no-core shell-model description for $^{6}$Li. We study the structure of the ground state of $^{6}$Li and the impact of the symmetry-guided space selection on the charge density components for this state in momentum space, including the effect of higher shells. We accomplish this by investigating the electron scattering charge form factor for momentum transfers up to $q \sim 4$ fm$^{-1}$. We demonstrate that this symmetry-adapted framework can achieve significantly reduced dimensions for equivalent large shell-model spaces while retaining the accuracy of the form factor for any momentum transfer. These new results confirm the previous outcomes for selected spectroscopy observables in light nuclei, such as binding energies, excitation energies, electromagnetic moments, E2 and M1 reduced transition probabilities, as well as point-nucleon matter rms radii.
We show the first results for the elastic scattering of neutrons off oxygen and calcium isotopes obtained from ab initio optical potentials. The potential is derived using self consistent Green's function theory (SCGF) with the saturating chiral interaction NNLO$_{\textrm{sat}}$. Our calculations are compared to available scattering data and show that it is possible to reproduce low energy scattering observables in medium mass nuclei from first principles.
We present microscopic calculations of low energy scattering observables in all possible four nucleon systems : n-3H, p-3He and p-3H. Results were obtained by solving Faddeev-Yakubovski equations in configuration space, appropriately modified to include Coulomb and three-nucleon forces.
We derive ab initio optical potentials from self-consistent Green's function (SCGF) theory and compute the elastic scattering of neutrons off oxygen and calcium isotopes. The comparison with scattering data is satisfactory at low scattering energies. The method is benchmarked against no-core shell model with continuum (NCSMC) calculations, showing that virtual excitations of the target are crucial to predict proper fragmentation and absorption at higher energies. This is a significant step toward deriving optical potentials for medium mass nuclei and complex many-body systems in general.
We develop a new ab initio many-body approach capable of describing simultaneously both bound and scattering states in light nuclei, by combining the resonating-group method with the use of realistic interactions, and a microscopic and consistent description of the nucleon clusters. This approach preserves translational symmetry and Pauli principle. We present phase shifts for neutron scattering on 3H, 4He and 10Be and proton scattering on {3,4}He, using realistic nucleon-nucleon potentials. Our A=4 scattering results are compared to earlier ab initio calculations. We demonstrate that a proper…
Based on the spectator expansion of the multiple scattering series we employ a nonlocal translationally invariant nuclear density derived from a chiral next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) and the very same interaction for consistent full-folding calculations of the effective (optical) potential for nucleon-nucleus scattering for light nuclei.
We develop a new ab initio many-body approach capable of describing simultaneously both bound and scattering states in light nuclei, by combining the resonating-group method with the use of realistic interactions, and a microscopic and consistent description of the nucleon clusters. This approach preserves translational symmetry and Pauli principle. We outline technical details and present phase shift results for neutron scattering on 3H, 4He and 10Be and proton scattering on 3He and 4He, using realistic nucleon-nucleon (NN) potentials. Our A=4 scattering results are compared to earlier ab ini…
Based on the spectator expansion of the multiple scattering series we employ a chiral next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) nucleon-nucleon interaction on the same footing in the structure as well as in the reaction calculation to obtain an in leading-order consistent effective potential for nucleon-nucleus elastic scattering, which includes the spin of the struck target nucleon. As an example we present proton scattering off $^{12}$C.
We extend the ab initio no-core shell model/resonating-group method (NCSM/RGM) to projectile-target binary-cluster states where the projectile is a deuteron. We discuss the formalism in detail and give algebraic expressions for the integration kernels. Using a soft similarity-renormalization-group evolved chiral nucleon-nucleon potential, we calculate deuteron-4He scattering and investigate 6Li bound and unbound states. Virtual three-body breakup effects are obtained in an approximated way by including excited pseudo-states of the deuteron in the calculation. We compare our results to experime…
Four-body equations in momentum space are solved for neutron-$\He$, proton-$\Hh$, and deuteron-deuteron scattering; all three reactions are coupled. The Coulomb interaction between the protons is included using the screening and renormalization approach as it was recently done for proton-deuteron and proton-$\He$ scattering. Realistic interactions are used between nucleon pairs. For the first time fully converged results for the observables pertaining to the six different elastic and transfer reactions are obtained and compared with experimental data.
$\boldsymbol{\textit{Ab initio}}$ $nα$ scattering using the Efros method
Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院近代物理研究所);College of Physics and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology(河南科技大学物理与工程学院);State Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Science and Technology, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences(中国科学院近代物理研究所重离子科学和技术国家重点实验室);Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University(莫斯科国立大学索别利茨基核物理研究所);Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University(爱荷华州立大学物理与天文系)
In this review, we present a symmetry-guided strategy that utilizes exact as well as partial symmetries for enabling a deeper understanding of and advancing ab initio studies for determining the microscopic structure of atomic nuclei. These symmetries expose physically relevant degrees of freedom that, for large-scale calculations with QCD-inspired interactions, allow the model space size to be reduced through a very structured selection of the basis states to physically relevant subspaces. This can guide explorations of simple patterns in nuclei and how they emerge from first principles, as w…
Over the last decade, new developments in Similarity Renormalization Group techniques and nuclear many-body methods have dramatically increased the capabilities of ab initio nuclear structure and reaction theory. Ground and excited-state properties can be computed up to the tin region, and from the proton to the presumptive neutron drip lines, providing unprecedented opportunities to confront two- plus three-nucleon interactions from chiral Effective Field Theory with experimental data. In this contribution, I will give a broad survey of the current status of nuclear many-body approaches, and …
We combine a recently developed ab initio many-body approach capable of describing simultaneously both bound and scattering states, the ab initio NCSM/RGM, with an importance truncation scheme for the cluster eigenstate basis and demostrate its applicability to nuclei with mass numbers as high as 17. Using soft similarity renormalization group evolved chiral nucleon-nucleon interactions, we first calculate nucleon-4He phase shifts, cross sections and analyzing power. Next, we investigate nucleon scattering on 7Li, 7Be, 12C and 16O in coupled-channel NCSM/RGM calculations that include low-lying…
We investigate cross sections for neutrino-12C exclusive scattering and for muon capture on 12C using wave functions obtained in the ab initio no-core shell model. In our parameter-free calculations with basis spaces up to the 6 hbarOmega we show that realistic nucleon-nucleon interactions, like e.g. the CD-Bonn, under predict the experimental cross sections by more than a factor of two. By including a realistic three-body interaction, Tucson-Melbourne TM'(99), the cross sections are enhanced significantly and a much better agreement with experiment is achieved. At the same time,the TM'(99) in…
We discuss the studies of light nuclei in ab initio No-core Full Configuration approach based on extrapolations to the infinite model space of large-scale No-core Shell Model calculations on supercomputers. The convergence at the end of p shell and beginning of the sd shell can be achieved if only reasonable soft enough NN interactions are used. In particular, good predictions are obtained with a realistic JISP16 NN interaction obtained in J-matrix inverse scattering approach and fitted to reproduce light nuclei observables without three-nucleon forces. We discuss the current status of this NN…
The four-body equations of Alt, Grassberger and Sandhas are solved for $\nH$ scattering at energies below three-body breakup threshold using various realistic interactions including one derived from chiral perturbation theory. After partial wave decomposition the equations are three-variable integral equations that are solved numerically without any approximations beyond the usual discretization of continuum variables on a finite momentum mesh. Large number of two-, three- and four-nucleon partial waves are considered until the convergence of the observables is obtained. The total $\nH$ cross …
The exact treatment of nuclei starting from the constituent nucleons and the fundamental interactions among them has been a long-standing goal in nuclear physics. Above all nuclear scattering and reactions, which require the solution of the many-body quantum-mechanical problem in the continuum, represent a theoretical and computational challenge for ab initio approaches. After a brief overview of the field, we present a new ab initio many-body approach capable of describing simultaneously both bound and scattering states in light nuclei. By combining the resonating-group method with the ab ini…
We extend the ab initio no-core shell model/resonating-group method to include three-nucleon (3N) interactions for the description of nucleon-nucleus collisions. We outline the formalism, give algebraic expressions for the 3N-force integration kernels, and discuss computational aspects of two alternative implementations. The extended theoretical framework is then applied to nucleon-4He scattering using similarity-renormalization-group (SRG) evolved nucleon-nucleon plus three-nucleon potentials derived from chiral effective field theory. We analyze the convergence properties of the calculated p…
Nuclear structure and reaction theory are undergoing a major renaissance with advances in many-body methods, strong interactions with greatly improved links to Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the advent of high performance computing, and improved computational algorithms. Predictive power, with well-quantified uncertainty, is emerging from non-perturbative approaches along with the potential for new discoveries such as predicting nuclear phenomena before they are measured. We present an overview of some recent developments and discuss challenges that lie ahead. Our focus is on explorations of al…
Calculating microscopic optical potentials for elastic nucleon-nucleus scattering has already led to large body of work in the past. For folding first-order calculations the nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction and the one-body density of the nucleus were taken as input to rigorous calculations in a spectator expansion of the multiple scattering series. Based on the Watson expansion of the multiple scattering series we employ a nonlocal translationally invariant nuclear density derived from a chiral next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) and the very same interaction for consistent full-folding calc…
A recently modified method to enable low-energy nuclear scattering results to be extracted from the discrete energy levels of the target-projectile clusters confined by harmonic potential traps is tested. We report encouraging results for neutron--$α$ and neutron--$^{24}\mathrm{O}$ elastic scattering from analyzing the trapped levels computed using two different ab initio nuclear structure methods. The $n$--$α$ results have also been checked against a direct ab initio reaction calculation. The $n$--$^{24}\mathrm{O}$ results demonstrate the approach's applicability for a large range of systems …
The exact treatment of nuclei starting from the constituent nucleons and the fundamental interactions among them has been a long-standing goal in nuclear physics. Above all nuclear scattering and reactions, which require the solution of the many-body quantum-mechanical problem in the continuum, represent an extraordinary theoretical as well as computational challenge for {\em ab initio} approaches. We present a new {\em ab initio} many-body approach which derives from the combination of the {\em ab initio} no-core shell model with the resonating-group method [4]. By complementing a microscopic…
In this paper we study the influence of nuclear medium effects on quasi-elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering processes. We focus on effects provided by the nuclear mean field and random phase correlations and pay special attention to differences between neutrino- and antineutrino-induced reactions. We confront our results with the T2K and MiniBooNE data for both neutrinos and antineutrinos and the neutrino-antineutrino asymmetry. In view of the recently published ab initio results we provide a careful comparison between our cross section predictions and the ab-initio calculations.
Quasielastic neutrino scattering is an important aspect of the experimental program to study fundamental neutrino properties including neutrino masses, mixing angles, the mass hierarchy and CP-violating phase. Proper interpretation of the experiments requires reliable theoretical calculations of neutrino-nucleus scattering. In this paper we present calculations of response functions and cross sections by neutral-current scattering of neutrinos off $^{12}$C. These calculations are based on realistic treatments of nuclear interactions and currents, the latter including the axial-, vector-, and v…
Background: Effective interactions for elastic nucleon-nucleus scattering from first principles require the use of the same nucleon-nucleon interaction in the structure and reaction calculations, as well as a consistent treatment of the relevant operators at each order. Purpose: Previous work using these interactions has shown good agreement with available data. Here, we study the physical relevance of one of these operators, which involves the spin of the struck nucleon, and examine the interpretation of this quantity in a nuclear structure context. Methods: Using the framework of the spectat…
A quantitative and predictive microscopic theoretical framework that can describe reactions induced by $α$ particles ($^4$He nuclei) and heavier projectiles is currently lacking. Such a framework would contribute to reducing uncertainty in the modeling of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis and provide the basis for achieving a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of nuclear clustering (the organization of protons and neutrons into distinct substructures within a nucleus). We have developed an efficient and general configuration-interaction framework for the description of low-energ…
Processes involving alpha particles and alpha-like nuclei comprise a major part of stellar nucleosynthesis and hypothesized mechanisms for thermonuclear supernovae. In an effort towards understanding alpha processes from first principles, we describe in this letter the first ab initio calculation of alpha-alpha scattering. We use lattice effective field theory to describe the low-energy interactions of nucleons and apply a technique called the adiabatic projection method to reduce the eight-body system to an effective two-cluster system. We find good agreement between lattice results and exper…
Ab initio $α$-$α$ scattering with high-fidelity chiral interactions
Tohoku University(东北大学);Forschungszentrum Jülich(于利希研究中心);Universität Bonn(波恩大学);Gaziantep Islam Science and Technology University(加济安特普伊斯兰科学与技术大学);Beihang University(北京航空航天大学)
Constructing microscopic effective interactions (`optical potentials') for nucleon-nucleus (NA) elastic scattering requires in first order off-shell nucleon-nucleon (NN) scattering amplitudes between the projectile and the struck target nucleon and nonlocal one-body density matrices. While the NN amplitudes and the {\it ab intio} no-core shell-model (NCSM) calculations always contain the full spin structure of the NN problem, one-body density matrices used in traditional microscopic folding potential neglect spin contributions inherent in the one-body density matrix. Here we derive and show th…
We present a brief overview of recent developments in ab initio calculations of nuclear scattering and reactions with a focus on applications of the no-core shell model with continuum method.
High-energy scattering processes, such as deep inelastic scattering (DIS) and quasielastic (QE) scattering provide a wealth of information about the structure of atomic nuclei. The remarkable discovery of the empirical linear relationship between the slope of the European Muon Collaboration (EMC) effect in DIS and the short-range-correlation (SRC) scaling factors $a_2$ in QE kinematics is naturally explained in terms of scale separation in effective field theory. This explanation has powerful consequences, allowing us to calculate and predict SRC scaling factors from ab initio low-energy nucle…
We propose a novel idea to construct an effective interaction under energy-density-functional (EDF) theories which is adaptive to the enlargement of the model space. Guided by effective field theory principles, iterations of interactions as well as enlargements of the model space through particle-hole excitations are carried out for infinite nuclear matter and selected closed-shell nuclei ($^4$He, $^{16}$O, $^{40}$Ca, $^{56}$Ni and $^{100}$Sn) up to next-to-leading order. Our approach provides a new way for handling the nuclear matter and finite nuclei within the same scheme, with advantages f…
We study the efficacy of a new ab initio framework that combines the symmetry-adapted (SA) no-core shell-model approach with the resonating group method (RGM) for unified descriptions of nuclear structure and reactions. We obtain ab initio neutron-nucleus interactions for $^4$He, $^{16}$O, and $^{20}$Ne targets, starting with realistic nucleon-nucleon potentials. We discuss the effect of increasing model space sizes and symmetry-based selections on the SA-RGM norm and direct potential kernels, as well as on phase shifts, which are the input to calculations of cross sections. We demonstrate the…
We apply the No-Core Shell Model with Continuum (NCSMC) that is capable of describing both bound and unbound states in light nuclei in a unified way with chiral two- and three-nucleon interactions as the only input. The NCSMC can predict structure and dynamics of light nuclei and, by comparing to available experimental data, test the quality of chiral nuclear forces. We discuss applications of NCSMC to the $α{-}α$ scattering and the structure of $^8$Be, the p+$^7$Be and p+$^7$Li radiative capture and the production of the hypothetical X17 boson claimed in ATOMKI experiments. The $^7$Be(p,$γ$)$…
The electromagnetic responses obtained from Green's function Monte Carlo (GFMC) calculations are based on realistic treatments of nuclear interactions and currents. The main limitations of this method comes from its nonrelativistic nature and its computational cost, the latter hampering the direct evaluation of the inclusive cross sections as measured by experiments. We extend the applicability of GFMC in the quasielastic region to intermediate momentum transfers by performing the calculations in a reference frame that minimizes nucleon momenta. Additional relativistic effects in the kinematic…
Background: Effective interactions for nucleon-nucleus ($NA$) elastic scattering from first principles require the use of the same nucleon-nucleon ($NN$) interaction in the structure and reaction calculations, and a consistent treatment of the relevant operators at each order. Purpose: Truncation uncertainties of chiral $NN$ forces have been studied for scattering observables in few-body systems and for bound state properties of light nuclei. We extend this to $NA$ elastic scattering. Methods: With the spectator expansion of multiple scattering theory and the no-core shell model, we use a chir…
We carry out an ab initio calculation of the neutrino flux-folded inclusive cross sections, measured on $^{12}$C by the MiniBooNE and T2K collaborations in the charged-current quasielastic (CCQE) regime. The calculation is based on realistic two- and three-nucleon interactions, and on a realistic nuclear electroweak current with one-and two-nucleon terms that are constructed consistently with these interactions and reproduce low-energy electroweak transitions. Numerically exact quantum Monte Carlo methods are utilized to compute the nuclear weak response functions, by fully retaining many-body…
Background: Calculating microscopic effective interactions (optical potentials) for elastic nucleon-nucleus scattering has already in the past led to a large body of work. For first-order calculations a nucleon-nucleon (\textit{NN}) interaction and a one-body density of the nucleus were taken as input to rigorous calculations of microscopic full-folding calculations. Purpose: Based on the spectator expansion of the multiple scattering series we employ a chiral next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) nucleon-nucleon interaction on the same footing in the structure as well as in the reaction calcul…
We present the first ab initio calculations for open-shell nuclei past the tin isotopic line, focusing on Xe isotopes as well as doubly-magic Sn isotopes. We show that, even for moderately hard interactions, it is possible to obtain meaningful predictions and that the NNLOsat chiral interaction predicts radii and charge density distributions close to the experiment. We then make a new prediction for ${}^{100}$Sn. This paves the way for ab initio studies of exotic charge density distributions at the limit of the present ab initio mass domain, where experimental data is becoming available. The p…
We introduce a unified approach to nuclear bound and continuum states based on the coupling of the no-core shell model (NCSM), a bound-state technique, with the no-core shell model/resonating group method (NCSM/RGM), a nuclear scattering technique. This new ab initio method, no-core shell model with continuum (NCSMC), leads to convergence properties superior to either NCSM or NCSM/RGM while providing a balanced approach to different classes of states. In the NCSMC, the ansatz for the many-nucleon wave function includes: i) a square-integrable A-nucleon component expanded in a complete harmonic…
Ab initio calculations of parity-violating electron scattering off $^{48}$Ca and $^{208}$Pb
University of Bern(伯尔尼大学);Oak Ridge National Laboratory(橡树岭国家实验室);University of Tsukuba(筑波大学);Technische Universität Darmstadt(达姆施塔特工业大学);GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH(德国重离子研究中心);Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik(马克斯·普朗克核物理研究所)
The measurement of neutrino oscillations and exotic physics searches are important parts of the physics program in the near future, with new state-of-the-art experiments planned within the next decade. Future and modern experiments in these fields will make use of nuclear targets. Event Generators (EGs) are software used in the analysis of neutrino oscillation experiments. EGs use to predict kinematic observables for a range of neutrino energies. These simulations may lack physics captured by more rigorous theoretical calculations. This work compares EG performance to nuclear theory calculatio…
We report a leading-order (LO) calculation of $^7\mathrm{Be}(p,γ)^8\mathrm{B}$ in a low-energy effective field theory. $^8\mathrm{B}$ is treated as a shallow proton$+^7\mathrm{Be}$ core and proton$+^7\mathrm{Be}^{*}$ (core excitation) $p$-wave bound state. The couplings are fixed using measured binding energies and proton-$^7\mathrm{Be}$ $s$-wave scattering lengths, together with $^8\mathrm{B}$ asymptotic normalization coefficients from ab initio calculations. We obtain a zero-energy $S$-factor of $18.2 \pm 1.2~({\rm ANC~only})$ eV b. Given that this is a LO result it is consistent with the re…