Search

We use coupled-cluster theory and nuclear interactions from chiral effective field theory to compute the nuclear matrix element for the neutrinoless double-$\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay of $^{48}\mathrm{Ca}$. Benchmarks with the no-core shell model in several light nuclei inform us about the accuracy of our approach. For $^{48}\mathrm{Ca}$ we find a relatively small matrix element. We also compute the nuclear matrix element for the two-neutrino double-$\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay of $^{48}\mathrm{Ca}$ with a quenching factor deduced from two-body currents in recent ab initio calculation of the Ikeda sum rule in $^{48}\mathrm{Ca}$ [Gysbers et al., Nat. Phys. 15, 428 (2019)].

In any finite system, the presence of a non-zero permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) would indicate CP violation beyond the small violation predicted in the Standard Model. Here, we use the ab initio no-core shell model (NCSM) framework to theoretically investigate the magnitude of the nuclear EDM. We calculate EDMs of several light nuclei using chiral two- and three-body interactions and a PT-violating Hamiltonian based on a one-meson-exchange model. We present a benchmark calculation for $^3$He, as well as results for the more complex nuclei $^{6,7}$Li, $^9$Be, $^{10,11}$B, $^{13}$C, $^{14,15}$N, and $^{19}$F. Our results suggest that different nuclei can be used to probe different terms of the PT violating interaction. These calculations allow us to suggest which nuclei may be good candidates in the search for a measurable permanent electric dipole moment., 6 pages, 3 figures, matches published version

Background: The $^{8}\mathrm{Li}(n,\ensuremath{\gamma})^{9}\mathrm{Li}$ reaction plays an important role in several astrophysics scenarios. It cannot be measured directly and indirect experiments have so far provided only cross section limits. Theoretical predictions differ by an order of magnitude.Purpose: In this work we study the properties of $^{9}\mathrm{Li}$ bound states and low-lying resonances and calculate the $^{8}\mathrm{Li}(n,\ensuremath{\gamma})^{9}\mathrm{Li}$ cross section within the no-core shell model with continuum (NCSMC) with chiral nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon interactions as input.Methods: The NCSMC is an ab initio method applicable to light nuclei that provides a unified description of bound and scattering states well suited to calculate low-energy nuclear scattering and reactions. For the capture cross section calculation, we adjust calculated thresholds to experimental values.Results: Our calculations reproduce the experimentally known bound states as well as the lowest $5/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ resonance of $^{9}\mathrm{Li}$. We predict a $3/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ spin-parity assignment for the resonance observed at 5.38 MeV. In addition to the very narrow $7/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ resonance corresponding presumably to the experimental 6.43 MeV state, we find several other broad low-lying resonances.Conclusions: Our calculated $^{8}\mathrm{Li}(n,\ensuremath{\gamma})^{9}\mathrm{Li}$ cross section is within the limits derived from the 1998 National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory Coulomb-dissociation experiment [Phys. Rev. C 57, 959 (1998)]. However, it is higher than cross sections obtained in recent phenomenological studies. It is dominated by a direct E1 capture to the ground state with a resonant contribution at $\ensuremath{\approx}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}0.2$ MeV due to E2/M1 radiation enhanced by the $5/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ resonance.

We report a comprehensive study of $^{10--14}\mathrm{B}$ isotopes within the ab initio no-core shell model (NCSM) using realistic nucleon-nucleon ($\mathit{NN}$) interactions. In particular, we have applied the inside nonlocal outside Yukawa (INOY) interaction to study energy spectra, electromagnetic properties, and point-proton radii of the boron isotopes. The NCSM results with the charge-dependent Bonn 2000 (CDB2K), the chiral next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (${\mathrm{N}}^{3}\mathrm{LO}$), and optimized next-to-next-to-leading order (${\mathrm{N}}^{2}{\mathrm{LO}}_{opt}$) interactions are also reported. We have reached basis sizes up to ${N}_{\mathrm{max}}=10$ for $^{10}\mathrm{B}, {N}_{\mathrm{max}}=8$ for $^{11,12,13}\mathrm{B}$, and ${N}_{\mathrm{max}}=6$ for $^{14}\mathrm{B}$ with $m$-scheme dimensions up to $1.7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{9}$. We also compare the NCSM calculations with the phenomenological YSOX interaction using the shell model to test the predictive power of the ab initio nuclear theory. Overall, our NCSM results are consistent with the available experimental data. The experimental ground state spin ${3}^{+}$ of $^{10}\mathrm{B}$ has been reproduced using the INOY $\mathit{NN}$ interaction. Typically, the $3N$ interaction is required to correctly reproduce the aforementioned state.

Ab initio calculations of bulk nuclear properties (ground-state energies, root mean square charge radii and charge density distributions) are presented for seven complete isotopic chains around calcium, from argon to chromium. Calculations are performed within the Gorkov self-consistent Green's function approach at second order and make use of two state-of-the-art two- plus three-nucleon Hamiltonians, $NN$+$3N\text{(lnl)}$ and NNLO$_{\text{sat}}$. An overall good agreement with available experimental data is found, in particular for differential energies (charge radii) when the former (latter) interaction is employed. Remarkably, neutron magic numbers $N=28,32,34$ emerge and evolve following experimental trends. In contrast, pairing gaps are systematically underestimated. General features of the isotopic dependence of charge radii are also reproduced, as well as charge density distributions. A deterioration of the theoretical description is observed for certain nuclei and ascribed to the inefficient account of (static) quadrupole correlation in the present many-body truncation scheme. In order to resolve these limitations, we advocate the extension of the formalism towards incorporating breaking of rotational symmetry or, alternatively, performing a stochastic sampling of the self-energy., 17 pages, 14 figures

The strength of the $N=28$ magic number in neutron-rich argon isotopes is examined through high-precision mass measurements of $^{46\text{--}48}\mathrm{Ar}$, performed with the ISOLTRAP mass spectrometer at ISOLDE/CERN. The new mass values are up to 90 times more precise than previous measurements. While they suggest the persistence of the $N=28$ shell closure for argon, we show that this conclusion has to be nuanced in light of the wealth of spectroscopic data and theoretical investigations performed with the SDPF-U phenomenological shell model interaction. Our results are also compared with ab initio calculations using the valence space in-medium similarity renormalization group and the self-consistent Green's function approaches. Both calculations provide a very good account of mass systematics at and around $Z=18$ and, generally, a consistent description of the physics in this region. This combined analysis indicates that $^{46}\mathrm{Ar}$ is the transition between the closed-shell $^{48}\mathrm{Ca}$ and collective $^{44}\mathrm{S}$.

Elastic scattering of antiprotons off $^{4}\mathrm{He}$, $^{12}\mathrm{C}$, and $^{16,18}\mathrm{O}$ is described for the first time with a consistent microscopic approach based on the calculation of an optical potential (OP) describing the antiproton-target interaction. The OP is derived using the recent antiproton-nucleon ($\overline{p}N$) chiral interaction to calculate the $\overline{p}N$ $t$ matrix, while the target densities are computed with the ab initio no-core shell model using chiral interactions as well. Our results are in good agreement with the existing experimental data and the results computed at different chiral orders of the $\overline{p}N$ interaction display a well-defined convergence pattern.

Exclusive cross sections and momentum distributions have been measured for quasifree one-neutron knockout reactions from a ^{54}Ca beam striking on a liquid hydrogen target at ∼200 MeV/u. A significantly larger cross section to the p_{3/2} state compared to the f_{5/2} state observed in the excitation of ^{53}Ca provides direct evidence for the nature of the N=34 shell closure. This finding corroborates the arising of a new shell closure in neutron-rich calcium isotopes. The distorted-wave impulse approximation reaction formalism with shell model calculations using the effective GXPF1Bs interaction and ab initio calculations concur our experimental findings. Obtained transverse and parallel momentum distributions demonstrate the sensitivity of quasifree one-neutron knockout in inverse kinematics on a thick liquid hydrogen target with the reaction vertex reconstructed to final state spin-parity assignments.

Recently, the bound and continuum spectrum of $^{11}\mathrm{Be}$ has been calculated within the ab initio no-core shell model with continuum (NCSMC) method, with the parity inversion in the ground state successfully reproduced. The continuum spectrum obtained is in agreement with known experimental levels. The S matrix contained in the NCSMC continuum wave functions of the $\mathrm{n}+^{10}\mathrm{Be}$ system is used in this work for the first time in a transfer-to-the-continuum (TC) reaction calculation. The TC approach is applied to study the excitation energy spectrum of $^{11}\mathrm{Be}$ measured in the $^{9}\mathrm{Be}(^{18}\mathrm{O},^{16}\mathrm{O})^{11}\mathrm{Be}$ reaction at 84 MeV. Previously known levels are confirmed and theoretical and experimental evidence for a 9/${2}^{+}$ state at ${E}_{x}=5.8$ MeV is given, whose configuration is thought to be $^{10}\mathrm{Be}({2}^{+})+\mathrm{n}({d}_{5/2})$.

Background: The production of $^{7}\mathrm{Be}$ and $^{7}\mathrm{Li}$ nuclei plays an important role in primordial nucleosynthesis, nuclear astrophysics, and fusion energy generation. The $^{3}\mathrm{He}(\ensuremath{\alpha},\ensuremath{\gamma})^{7}\mathrm{Be}$ and $^{3}\mathrm{H}(\ensuremath{\alpha},\ensuremath{\gamma})^{7}\mathrm{Li}$ radiative-capture processes are important to determine the $^{7}\mathrm{Li}$ abundance in the early universe and to predict the correct fraction of $pp$-chain branches resulting in $^{7}\mathrm{Be}$ versus $^{8}\mathrm{B}$ neutrinos. The $^{6}\mathrm{Li}(p,\ensuremath{\gamma})^{7}\mathrm{Be}$ has been investigated recently hinting at a possible cross section enhacement near the thershold. The $^{6}\mathrm{Li}(n,^{3}\mathrm{H})^{4}\mathrm{He}$ process can be utilized for tritium breeding in machines dedicated to fusion energy generation through the deuteron-tritium reaction, and is a neutron cross section standard used in the measurement and evaluation of fission cross sections.Purpose: In this work we study the properties of $^{7}\mathrm{Be}$ and $^{7}\mathrm{Li}$ within the no-core shell model with continuum (NCSMC) method, using chiral nucleon-nucleon interactions as the only input, and analyze all the binary mass partitions involved in the formation of these systems.Methods: The NCSMC is an ab initio method applicable to light nuclei that provides a unified description of bound and scattering states and thus is well suited to investigate systems with many resonances and pronounced clustering like $^{7}\mathrm{Be}$ and $^{7}\mathrm{Li}$.Results: Our calculations reproduce all the experimentally known states of the two systems and provide predictions for several new resonances of both parities. Some of these new possible resonances are built on the ground states of $^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ and $^{6}\mathrm{He}$, and thus represent a robust prediction. We do not find any resonance in the $p+^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ mass partition near the threshold. On the other hand, in the $p+^{6}\mathrm{He}$ mass partition of $^{7}\mathrm{Li}$ we observe an $S$-wave resonance near the threshold producing a very pronounced peak in the calculated $S$ factor of the $^{6}\mathrm{He}(p,\ensuremath{\gamma})^{7}\mathrm{Li}$ radiative-capture reaction.Conclusions: While we do not find a resonance near the thershold in the $p+^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ channel, in the case of $^{6}\mathrm{He}+p$ reaction a resonant $S$-wave state is predicted at a very low energy above the reaction threshold, which could be relevant for astrophysics and its implications should be investigated. We note though that this state lies above the three-body breakup threshold not included in our method and may be influenced by three-body continuum correlations.

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., 6 pages, 4 figures, Zakopane conference on nuclear physics

The exotic Borromean nucleus $^{20}$Mg with $N$ = 8, located at the proton drip-line provides a unique testing ground for nuclear forces and the evolution of shell structure in the neutron-deficient region. We report on the first observation of proton unbound resonances together with bound states in $^{20}$Mg from the $^{20}$Mg($d$,$d'$) reaction performed at TRIUMF. Phenomenological shell-model calculations offer a reasonable description. However, our experimental results present a challenge for current first-principles nuclear structure approaches and point to the need for improved chiral forces and {\it ab initio} calculations. Furthermore, the differential cross section of the first excited state is compared with distorted-wave Born approximation calculations to deduce a neutron quadrupole deformation parameter of $\beta_n$=0.46$\pm$0.21. This provides the first indication of a possible weakening of the $N$ = 8 shell closure at the proton drip-line.

The 3He(α,γα,γ)7Be and 3H(α,γα,γ)7Li astrophysical S factors are calculated within the no-core shell model with continuum using a renormalized chiral nucleon–nucleon interaction. The 3He(α,γα,γ)7Be astrophysical S factors agree reasonably well with the experimental data while the 3H(α,γα,γ)7Li ones are overestimated. The seven-nucleon bound and resonance states and the α + 3He/3H elastic scattering are also studied and compared with experiment. The low-lying resonance properties are rather well reproduced by our approach. At low energies, the s-wave phase shift, which is non-resonant, is overestimated.

We report on the first γ-ray spectroscopy of 51,53K produced via the 52,54Ca(p,2p) reactions at ∼250 MeV/nucleon. Unambiguous final-state angular-momentum assignments were achieved for beam intensities down to few particles per second by using a new technique based on reaction vertex tracking combined with a thick liquid-hydrogen target. Through γ-ray spectroscopy and exclusive parallel momentum distribution analysis, 3/2+ ground states and 1/2+ first excited states in 51,53K were established quantifying the natural ordering of the 1 d 3 / 2 and 2 s 1 / 2 proton-hole states that are restored at N = 32 and 34. State-of-the-art ab initio calculations and shell-model calculations with improved phenomenological effective interactions reproduce the present data and predict consistently the increase of the E(1/2 1 + ) - E(3/2 1 + ) energy differences towards N = 40.

A Coulomb-excitation reorientation-effect measurement using the TIGRESS γ−ray spectrometer at the TRIUMF/ISAC II facility has permitted the determination of the 〈 2 1 + ‖ E 2 ˆ ‖ 2 1 + 〉 diagonal matrix element in 12C from particle−γ coincidence data and state-of-the-art no-core shell model calculations of the nuclear polarizability. The nuclear polarizability for the ground and first-excited (2 1 + ) states in 12C have been calculated using chiral NN N4LO500 and NN+3NF350 interactions, which show convergence and agreement with photo-absorption cross-section data. Predictions show a change in the nuclear polarizability with a substantial increase between the ground state and first excited 2 1 + state at 4.439 MeV. The polarizability of the 2 1 + state is introduced into the current and previous Coulomb-excitation reorientation-effect analyses of 12C. Spectroscopic quadrupole moments of Q S ( 2 1 + ) = + 0.053 ( 44 ) eb and Q S ( 2 1 + ) = + 0.08 ( 3 ) eb are determined, respectively, yielding a weighted average of Q S ( 2 1 + ) = + 0.071 ( 25 ) eb, in agreement with recent ab initio calculations. The present measurement confirms that the 2 1 + state of 12C is oblate and emphasizes the important role played by the nuclear polarizability in Coulomb-excitation studies of light nuclei.

Background: The exotic $^{9}\mathrm{He}$ nucleus, which presents one of the most extreme neutron-to-proton ratios, belongs to the $N=7$ isotonic chain famous for the phenomenon of ground-state parity inversion with decreasing number of protons. Consequently, it would be expected to have an unnatural (positive) parity ground state similar to $^{11}\mathrm{Be}$ and $^{10}\mathrm{Li}$. Despite many experimental and theoretical investigations, its structure remains uncertain. Apart from the fact that it is unbound, other properties including the spin and parity of its ground state, and the very existence of additional low-lying resonances are still a matter of debate.Purpose: In this work, we study the properties of $^{9}\mathrm{He}$ by analyzing the $n+^{8}\mathrm{He}$ continuum in the context of the ab initio no-core shell model with continuum (NCSMC) formalism with chiral nucleon-nucleon interactions as the only input.Methods: The NCSMC is a state-of-the-art approach for the ab initio description of light nuclei. With its capability to predict properties of bound states, resonances, and scattering states in a unified framework, the method is particularly well suited for the study of unbound nuclei such as $^{9}\mathrm{He}$.Results: Our analysis produces an unbound $^{9}\mathrm{He}$ nucleus. Two resonant states are found at the energies of $\ensuremath{\sim}1$ and $\ensuremath{\sim}3.5$ MeV, respectively, above the $n+^{8}\mathrm{He}$ breakup threshold. The first state has a spin-parity assignment of ${J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}={1/2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ and can be associated with the ground state of $^{9}\mathrm{He}$, while the second, broader state has a spin parity of ${3/2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$. No resonance is found in the ${1/2}^{+}$ channel, only a very weak attraction.Conclusions: We find that the $^{9}\mathrm{He}$ ground-state resonance has a negative parity and thus breaks the parity-inversion mechanism found in the $^{11}\mathrm{Be}$ and $^{10}\mathrm{Li}$ nuclei of the same $N=7$ isotonic chain.

The possibility that an unconventional depletion in the center of the charge density distribution of certain nuclei occurs due to a purely quantum mechanical effect has attracted theoretical and experimental attention in recent years. We report on ab initio self-consistent Green's function calculations of one of such candidates, $^{34}$Si, together with its Z+2 neighbour $^{36}$S. Binding energies, rms radii and density distributions of the two nuclei as well as low-lying spectroscopy of $^{35}$Si, $^{37}$S, $^{33}$Al and $^{35}$P are discussed. The interpretation of one-nucleon removal and addition spectra in terms of the evolution of the underlying shell structure is also provided. The study is repeated using several chiral effective field theory Hamiltonians as a way to test the robustness of the results with respect to input inter-nucleon interactions. The prediction regarding the (non-)existence of the bubble structure in $^{34}$Si varies significantly with the nuclear Hamiltonian used. However, demanding that the experimental charge density distribution and the root mean square radius of $^{36}$S are well reproduced, along with $^{34}$Si and $^{36}$S binding energies, only leaves the NNLO$_{\text{sat}}$ Hamiltonian as a serious candidate to perform this prediction. In this context, a bubble structure, whose fingerprint should be visible in an electron scattering experiment of $^{34}$Si, is predicted. Furthermore, a clear correlation is established between the occurrence of the bubble structure and the weakening of the 1/2$^-$-3/2$^-$ splitting in the spectrum of $^{35}$Si as compared to $^{37}$S., 19 pages, 21 figures

The electromagnetic dipole strength in Be 11 between the bound states has been measured using low-energy projectile Coulomb excitation at bombarding energies of 1.73 and 2.09 MeV/nucleon on a Pt 196 target. An electric dipole transition probability B ( E 1 ; 1 / 2 − → 1 / 2 + ) = 0.102 ( 2 ) e 2 fm 2 was determined using the semi-classical code Gosia, and a value of 0.098 ( 4 ) e 2 fm 2 was determined using the Extended Continuum Discretized Coupled Channels method with the quantum mechanical code FRESCO. These extracted B ( E 1 ) values are consistent with the average value determined by a model-dependent analysis of intermediate energy Coulomb excitation measurements and are approximately 14 % lower than that determined by a lifetime measurement. The much-improved precisions of 2% and 4% in the measured B ( E 1 ) values between the bound states deduced using Gosia and the Extended Continuum Discretized Coupled Channels method, respectively, compared to the previous accuracy of ∼ 10 % will help in our understanding of and better improve the realistic inter-nucleon interactions.

The Borromean $^{6}\mathrm{He}$ nucleus is an exotic system characterized by two halo neutrons orbiting around a compact $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ (or $\ensuremath{\alpha}$) core, in which the binary subsystems are unbound. The simultaneous reproduction of its small binding energy and extended matter and point-proton radii has been a challenge for ab initio theoretical calculations based on traditional bound-state methods. Using soft nucleon-nucleon interactions based on chiral effective field theory potentials, we show that supplementing the model space with $^{4}\mathrm{He}+n+n$ cluster degrees of freedom largely solves this issue. We analyze the role played by $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ clustering and many-body correlations, and study the dependence of the energy spectrum on the resolution scale of the interaction.

We report proton radii of 12-19C densities derived from first accurate charge changing cross section measurements at 900A MeV with a carbon target. A thick neutron surface evolves from ~0.5 fm in 15C to ~1 fm in 19C. Also, the halo radius in 19C is found to be 6.4±0.7 fm as large as 11Li. Ab initio calculations based on chiral nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon forces reproduce the radii well.

Recently, we applied an $ab$ $initio$ method, the no-core shell model combined with the resonating group method, to the transfer reactions with light p-shell nuclei as targets and deuteron as the projectile. In particular, we studied the elastic scattering of deuterium on $^7$Li and the ${}^{7}$Li($d$,$p$)${}^{8}$Li transfer reaction starting from a realistic two-nucleon interaction. In this contribution, we review of our main results on the ${}^{7}$Li($d$,$p$)${}^{8}$Li transfer reaction, and we extend the study of the relevant reaction channels, by showing the dominant resonant phase shifts of the scattering matrix. We assess also the impact of the polarization effects of the deuteron below the breakup on the positive-parity resonant states in the reaction. For this purpose, we perform an analysis of the convergence trend of the phase and eigenphase shifts, with respect to the number of deuteron pseudostates included in the model space., Comment: Contribution to TNPI2016

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. In addition to the complex nature of nuclear forces, one faces the quantum-mechanical many-nucleon problem governed by an interplay between bound and continuum states. In recent years, significant progress has been made in ab initio nuclear structure and reaction calculations based on input from QCD employing Hamiltonians constructed within chiral effective field theory. In this contribution, we present one of such promising techniques capable of describing simultaneously both bound and scattering states in light nuclei. By combining the resonating-group method (RGM) with the ab initio no-core shell model (NCSM), we complement a microscopic cluster approach with the use of realistic interactions and a microscopic and consistent description of the clusters. We discuss applications to light nuclei scattering, radiative capture and fusion reactions.

We apply the ab initio no-core shell model/resonating group method (NCSM/RGM) approach to calculate the cross section of the Be 7 ( p , γ ) B 8 radiative capture. This reaction is important for understanding the solar neutrino flux. Starting from a selected similarity-transformed chiral nucleon–nucleon interaction that accurately describes two-nucleon data, we performed many-body calculations that simultaneously predict both the normalization and the shape of the S-factor. We study the dependence on the number of 7Be eigenstates included in the coupled-channel equations and on the size of the harmonic oscillator basis used for the expansion of the eigenstates and of the localized parts of the integration kernels. Our S-factor result at zero energy is on the lower side of, but consistent with, the latest evaluation.

Background: Low-energy transfer reactions in which a proton is stripped from a deuteron projectile and dropped into a target play a crucial role in the formation of nuclei in both primordial and stellar nucleosynthesis, as well as in the study of exotic nuclei using radioactive beam facilities and inverse kinematics. Ab initio approaches have been successfully applied to describe the $^3$H$(d,n)^4$He and $^3$He$(d,p)^4$He fusion processes. Purpose: An ab initio treatment of transfer reactions would also be desirable for heavier targets. In this work, we extend the ab initio description of $(d,p)$ reactions to processes with light $p$-shell nuclei. As a first application, we study the elastic scattering of deuterium on $^7$Li and the ${}^{7}$Li($d$,$p$)${}^{8}$Li transfer reaction based on a two-body Hamiltonian. Methods: We use the no-core shell model to compute the wave functions of the nuclei involved in the reaction, and describe the dynamics between targets and projectiles with the help of microscopic-cluster states in the spirit of the resonating group method. Results: The shape of the excitation functions for deuteron impinging on ${}^{7}$Li are qualitatively reproduced up to the deuteron breakup energy. The interplay between $d$-$^7$Li and $p$-$^8$Li particle-decay channels determines some features of the ${}^{9}$Be spectrum above the $d$+${}^{7}$Li threshold. Our prediction for the parity of the 17.298 MeV resonance is at odds with the experimental assignment Conclusions: Deuteron stripping reactions with $p$-shell targets can now be computed ab initio, but calculations are very demanding. A quantitative description of the ${}^{7}$Li($d$,$p$)${}^{8}$Li reaction will require further work to include the effect of three-nucleon forces and additional decay channels, and improve the convergence rate of our calculations., 16 pages, 11 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. C

Author(s): Smalley, D; Iwasaki, H; Navratil, P; Roth, R; Langhammer, J; Bader, VM; Bazin, D; Berryman, JS; Campbell, CM; Dohet-Eraly, J; Fallon, P; Gade, A; Langer, C; Lemasson, A; Loelius, C; Macchiavelli, AO; Morse, C; Parker, J; Quaglioni, S; Recchia, F; Stroberg, SR; Weisshaar, D; Whitmore, K; Wimmer, K | Abstract: We studied transition rates for the lowest 1/2+ and 5/2+ excited states of C17 through lifetime measurements with the GRETINA array using the recoil-distance method. The present measurements provide a model-independent determination of transition strengths giving the values of B(M1;1/2+→3/2g.s.+)=1.04-0.12+0.03×10-2μN2 and B(M1;5/2+→3/2g.s.+)=7.12-0.96+1.27×10-2μN2. The quenched M1 transition strength for the 1/2+→3/2g.s.+ transition, with respect to the 5/2+→3/2g.s.+ transition, has been confirmed with greater precision. The current data are compared to importance-truncated no-core shell model calculations addressing effects due to continuum and three-body forces.

The ${^3{\rm He}}(\alpha,\gamma){^7{\rm Be}}$ and ${^3{\rm H}}(\alpha,\gamma){^7{\rm Li}}$ astrophysical $S$ factors are evaluated at low collision energies (less than 2.5 MeV in the centre-of-mass frame) within the no-core shell model with continuum approach using a renormalized chiral nucleon-nucleon interaction., Comment: 4 pages, submitted as a proceeding of the 21st International Conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics

Differential cross sections of isoscalar and isovector spin-M1 (0(+)→1(+)) transitions are measured using high-energy-resolution proton inelastic scattering at E(p)=295 MeV on (24)Mg, (28)Si, (32)S, and (36)Ar at 0°-14°. The squared spin-M1 nuclear transition matrix elements are deduced from the measured differential cross sections by applying empirically determined unit cross sections based on the assumption of isospin symmetry. The ratios of the squared nuclear matrix elements accumulated up to E(x)=16 MeV compared to a shell-model prediction are 1.01(9) for isoscalar and 0.61(6) for isovector spin-M1 transitions, respectively. Thus, no quenching is observed for isoscalar spin-M1 transitions, while the matrix elements for isovector spin-M1 transitions are quenched by an amount comparable with the analogous Gamow-Teller transitions on those target nuclei.

Here, we provide a unified ab initio description of the 6Li ground state and elastic scattering of deuterium (d) on 4He (α) using two- and three-nucleon forces from chiral effective field theory. We analyze the influence of the three-nucleon force and reveal the role of continuum degrees of freedom in shaping the low-lying spectrum of 6Li. The calculation reproduces the empirical binding energy of 6Li, yielding an asymptotic D- to S-state ratio of the 6Li wave function in the d+α configuration of –0.027, in agreement with a determination from 6Li–4He elastic scattering, but overestimates the excitation energy of the 3+ state by 350 keV. The bulk of the computed differential cross section is in good agreement with data. These results endorse the application of the present approach to the evaluation of the 2H(α,γ)6Li radiative capture, responsible for the big-bang nucleosynthesis of 6Li.

The recently confirmed neutron-shell closure at $N=32$ has been investigated for the first time below the magic proton number $Z=20$ with mass measurements of the exotic isotopes $^{52,53}\mathrm{K}$, the latter being the shortest-lived nuclide investigated at the online mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP. The resulting two-neutron separation energies reveal a 3 MeV shell gap at $N=32$, slightly lower than for $^{52}\mathrm{Ca}$, highlighting the doubly magic nature of this nuclide. Skyrme-Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov and ab initio Gorkov-Green function calculations are challenged by the new measurements but reproduce qualitatively the observed shell effect.

There has been a significant progress in ab initio approaches to the structure of light nuclei. Starting from realistic two- and three-nucleon interactions the ab initio no-core shell model (NCSM) can predict low-lying levels in p-shell nuclei. It is a challenging task to extend ab initio methods to describe nuclear reactions. In this contribution, we present a brief overview of the the first steps taken toward nuclear reaction applications. In particular, we discuss our calculation of the 7Be(p,γ)8B S-factor. In addition, we present our preliminary results of the 3He(α,γ)7Be S-factor. These two reactions correspond to the most important uncertainties in solar model predictions of neutrino fluxes.

There has been significant progress in the ab initio approaches to the structure of light nuclei. One such method is the ab initio no-core shell model (NCSM). Starting from the realistic two- and three-nucleon interactions, this method can predict the low-lying levels in p-shell nuclei. It is a challenging task to extend the ab initio methods to describe nuclear reactions. In this contribution, we present a brief overview of the NCSM with examples of recent applications as well as the first steps taken toward nuclear reaction applications.

Chiral two- and three-nucleon interactions are studied in a few-nucleon systems. We investigate the cut-off dependence and convergence with respect to the chiral expansion. It is pointed out that the spectra of light nuclei are sensitive to the three-nucleon force structure. As an example, we present calculations of the 1{sup +} and 3{sup +} states of {sup 6}Li using the no-core shell model approach. The results show contributions of the next-to-next-to-leading order terms to the spectra, which are not correlated to the three-nucleon binding energy prediction.

With the goal of developing predictive ab-initio capability for light and medium-mass nuclei, two-nucleon and three-nucleon forces from chiral effective field theory are optimized simultaneously to low-energy nucleon-nucleon scattering data, as well as binding energies and radii of few-nucleon systems and selected isotopes of carbon and oxygen. Coupled-cluster calculations based on this interaction, named NNLO$_{\rm sat}$, yield accurate binding energies and radii of nuclei up to $^{40}$Ca, and are consistent with the empirical saturation point of symmetric nuclear matter. In addition, the low-lying collective $J^\pi=3^-$ states in $^{16}$O and $^{40}$Ca are described accurately, while spectra for selected $p$- and $sd$-shell nuclei are in reasonable agreement with experiment.

An {\em ab initio} (i.e., from first principles) theoretical framework capable of providing a unified description of the structure and low-energy reaction properties of light nuclei is desirable to further our understanding of the fundamental interactions among nucleons, and provide accurate predictions of crucial reaction rates for nuclear astrophysics, fusion-energy research, and other applications. In this contribution we review {\em ab initio} calculations for nucleon and deuterium scattering on light nuclei starting from chiral two- and three-body Hamiltonians, obtained within the framework of the {\em ab initio} no-core shell model with continuum. This is a unified approach to nuclear bound and scattering states, in which square-integrable energy eigenstates of the $A$-nucleon system are coupled to $(A-a)+a$ target-plus-projectile wave functions in the spirit of the resonating group method to obtain an efficient description of the many-body nuclear dynamics both at short and medium distances and at long ranges., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics

Low-energy cross sections for elastic scattering and recoil of protons from 4He nuclei (also known as α particles) are calculated directly by solving the Schrodinger equation for five nucleons interacting through accurate two- and three-nucleon forces derived within the framework of chiral effective field theory. Precise knowledge of these processes at various proton backscattering/recoil angles and energies is needed for the ion-beam analysis of numerous materials, from the surface layers of solids, to thin films, to fusion-reactor materials. Indeed, the same elastic scattering process, in two different kinematic configurations, can be used to probe the concentrations and depth profiles of either hydrogen or helium. Furthermore, we compare our results to available experimental data and show that direct calculations with modern nuclear potentials can help to resolve remaining inconsistencies among data sets and can be used to predict these cross sections when measurements are not available.

The impact of three-nucleon forces (3NFs) along the oxygen chain is investigated for the spectral distribution for attachment and removal of a nucleon, spectroscopic factors and matter radii. We employ self-consistent Green's function (SCGF) theory which allows a comprehensive calculation of the single particle spectral function. For the closed subshell isotopes, $^{14}$O, $^{16}$O, $^{22}$O, $^{24}$O and $^{28}$O, we perform calculations with the Dyson-ADC(3) method. The remaining open shell isotopes are studied using the newly developed Gorkov-SCGF formalism up to second order. We produce plots for the full-fledged spectral distributions. The spectroscopic factors for the dominant quasiparticle peaks are found to depend very little on the leading order (NNLO) chiral 3NFs. The latters have small impact on the calculated matter radii, which, however are consistently obtained smaller than experiment. Similarly, single particle spectra tend to be diluted with respect to experiment. This effect might hinder, to some extent, the onset of correlations and screen the quenching of calculated spectroscopic factors. The most important effects of 3NFs is thus the fine tuning of the energies for the dominant quasiparticle states, which govern the shell evolution and the position of driplines. Although present chiral NNLO 3NFs interactions do reproduce the binding energies correctly in this mass region, the details of the nuclear wave function remain at odd with the experiment showing too small radii and a too dilute single particle spectrum, similar to what already pointed out for larger masses. This suggests a lack of repulsion in the present model of NN+3N interactions which is mildly apparent already for masses in the A=14--28 range., 13 pages, accepted for publication on Phys. Rev. C

We present the first ab initio calculations for p-shell single-Lambda hypernuclei. For the solution of the many-baryon problem, we develop two variants of the no-core shell model with explicit $\Lambda$ and $\Sigma^+$, $\Sigma^0$, $\Sigma^-$ hyperons including $\Lambda$-$\Sigma$ conversion, optionally supplemented by a similarity renormalization group transformation to accelerate model-space convergence. In addition to state-of-the-art chiral two- and three-nucleon interactions, we use leading-order chiral hyperon-nucleon interactions and a recent meson-exchange hyperon-nucleon interaction. We validate the approach for s-shell hypernuclei and apply it to p-shell hypernuclei, in particular to $^7_\Lambda$Li, $^9_\Lambda$Be and $^{13}_\Lambda$C. We show that the chiral hyperon-nucleon interactions provide ground-state and excitation energies that agree with experiment within the cutoff dependence. At the same time we demonstrate that hypernuclear spectroscopy provides tight constraints on the hyperon-nucleon interactions and we discuss the impact of induced hyperon-nucleon-nucleon interactions., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

The low-lying continuum spectrum of the $^{6}\mathrm{He}$ nucleus is investigated for the first time within an ab initio framework that encompasses the $^{4}\mathrm{He}+n+n$ three-cluster dynamics characterizing its lowest decay channel. This is achieved through an extension of the no-core shell model combined with the resonating-group method, in which energy-independent nonlocal interactions among three nuclear fragments can be calculated microscopically, starting from realistic nucleon-nucleon interactions and consistent ab initio many-body wave functions of the clusters. The three-cluster Schr\"odinger equation is solved with three-body scattering boundary conditions by means of the hyperspherical-harmonics method on a Lagrange mesh. Using a soft similarity-renormalization-group evolved chiral nucleon-nucleon potential, we find the known ${J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}={2}^{+}$ resonance as well as a result consistent with a new low-lying second ${2}^{+}$ resonance recently observed at GANIL at 2.6 MeV above the $^{6}\mathrm{He}$ ground state. We also find resonances in the ${2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, ${1}^{+}$, and ${0}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ channels, while no low-lying resonances are present in the ${0}^{+}$ and ${1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ channels.

We derive and compute effective valence-space shell-model interactions from ab initio coupled-cluster theory and apply them to open-shell and neutron-rich oxygen and carbon isotopes. Our shell-model interactions are based on nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon forces from chiral effective-field theory. We compute the energies of ground and low-lying states, and find good agreement with experiment. In particular, our computed ${2}^{+}$ states are consistent with $N=14,16$ shell closures in $^{22,24}\mathrm{O}$, and a weaker $N=14$ shell closure in $^{20}\mathrm{C}$. We find good agreement between our coupled-cluster effective-interaction results with those obtained from standard single-reference coupled-cluster calculations for up to eight valence neutrons.

Using a ${}^{13}$O beam, we have observed proton decays of ${}^{12}$N and ${}^{13}$O excited states following proton-knockout and inelastic interactions on a ${}^{9}$Be target. The excited states were determined from detected two- and three-body exit channels using the invariant mass method. The width of the second excited state of ${}^{12}$N was determined to be 55(20) keV, considerably smaller than the value listed in the ENSDF data base. Three new excited states of narrow width ($\ensuremath{\Gamma}l50$ keV) were observed in ${}^{13}$O from the $p$+${}^{12}$N and 2$p$+${}^{11}$C exit channels. One of these states (${E}^{*}$ = 3.67 MeV) was found to sequentially decay to the second excited of ${}^{12}$N. We again found these data to be inconsistent with the listed decay width. The ramifications for the astrophysically interesting ${}^{11}$C($p$,$\ensuremath{\gamma}$)${}^{12}$N reaction are given.

The neutron-rich unbound $^{7}\mathrm{He}$ nucleus has been the subject of many experimental investigations. While the ground-state $3/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ resonance is well established, there is a controversy concerning the excited $1/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ resonance reported in some experiments as low lying and narrow (${E}_{R}\ensuremath{\sim}1\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$, $\ensuremath{\Gamma}\ensuremath{\le}1\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$) while in others as very broad and located at a higher energy. This issue cannot be addressed by ab initio theoretical calculations based on traditional bound-state methods. We introduce a new unified approach to nuclear bound and continuum states based on the coupling of the no-core shell model, a bound-state technique, with the no-core shell model combined with the resonating-group method, a nuclear scattering technique. Our calculations describe the ground-state resonance in agreement with experiment and, at the same time, predict a broad $1/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ resonance above 2 MeV.

Excited states in C-16 were populated via the Be-9(N-17,C-16+gamma)X one-proton knockout reaction. The lifetime of the 2(1)(+) state in C-16 was measured using the recoil distance method. The extracted lifetime of tau(+)(21) = 11.4(-0.9)(+0.8)(stat) +/- 0.7(syst(B rho))(-1.5)(+0.0)(syst(feeding)) ps yields a deduced B(E2;2(1)(+) -> 0(1)(+)) = 4.21(-0.26)(+0.34)(stat)(-0.24)(+0.28)(syst(B rho))(-0.00)(+0.64)(syst(feeding)) e(2)fm(4) value in good agreement with a previous measurement. The one-proton knockout cross section is used to extract the proton amplitude of the C-16 2(1)(+) state, which confirms the neutron dominant character of this state. Gamma-ray branching ratios between the 2(2)(+) state and the 2(1)(+) and ground states were also determined. The results are compared with p-sd shell model and no-core shell model (with NN and NN + NNN) calculations. The inclusion of three-body forces are essential in order for the no-core shell model calculations to reproduce the experimental findings on the gamma-ray branching ratios.

The highly-efficient and segmented TIGRESS gamma-ray spectrometer at TRIUMF has been used to perform a reorientation-effect Coulomb-excitation study of the 2(1)(+) state at 3.368 MeV in Be-10. This is the first Coulomb-excitation measurement that enables one to obtain information on diagonal matrix elements for such a high-lying first excited state from gamma-ray data. With the availability of accurate lifetime data, a value of -0.110 +/- 0.087 eb is determined for the diagonal matrix element, which assuming the rotor model, leads to a negative spectroscopic quadrupole moment of Q(S)(2(1)(+)) = -0.083 +/- 0.066 eb. This result is in agreement with both no-core shell-model calculations performed in this work with the CD-Bonn 2000 two-nucleon potential and large shell-model spaces, and Green's function Monte Carlo predictions with two-plus three-nucleon potentials.

We study the use of truncated normal-ordered three-nucleon interactions in nuclear structure calculations starting from chiral two- plus three-nucleon Hamiltonians evolved consistently with the similarity renormalization group. We present three key developments: (i) a rigorous benchmark of the normal-ordering approximation in the importance-truncated no-core shell model for (4)He, (16)O, and (40)Ca; (ii) a direct comparison of the importance-truncated no-core shell model results with coupled-cluster calculations at the singles and doubles level for (16)O; and (iii) first applications of similarity renormalization group-evolved chiral NN+3N Hamiltonians in coupled-cluster calculations for medium-mass nuclei (16,24)O and (40,48)Ca. We show that the normal-ordered two-body approximation works very well beyond the lightest isotopes and opens a path for studies of medium-mass and heavy nuclei with chiral two- plus three-nucleon interactions. At the same time we highlight the predictive power of chiral Hamiltonians.

Excited states in C-18 were populated by the one-proton knockout reaction of an intermediate energy radioactive N-19 beam. The lifetime of the first 2(+) state was measured with the Koln/NSCL plunger via the recoil distance method to be tau (2(1)(+)) = 22.4 +/- 0.9(stat)(-2.2)(+3.3)(syst) ps, which corresponds to a reduced quadrupole transition strength of B(E2; 2(1)(+) -> 0(1)(+)) = 3.64(-0.14)(+ 0.15)(stat)(-0.47)(+0.40)(syst) e(2)fm(4). In addition, an upper limit on the lifetime of a higher-lying state feeding the 2(1)(+) state was measured to be tau < 4.6 ps. The results are compared to large-scale ab initio no-core shell model calculations using two accurate nucleon-nucleon interactions and the importance-truncation scheme. The comparison provides strong evidence that the inclusion of three-body forces is needed to describe the low-lying excited-state properties of this A = 18 system.

We apply the ab initio no-core shell model combined with the resonating-group method approach to calculate the cross sections of the 3H(d,n)4He and 3He(d,p)4He fusion reactions. These are important reactions for the big bang nucleosynthesis and the future of energy generation on Earth. Starting from a selected similarity-transformed chiral nucleon-nucleon interaction that accurately describes two-nucleon data, we performed many-body calculations that predict the S factor of both reactions. Virtual three-body breakup effects are obtained by including excited pseudostates of the deuteron in the calculation. Lastly, our results are in satisfactory agreement with experimental data and pave the way for microscopic investigations of polarization and electron-screening effects, of the 3H(d,γn)4He bremsstrahlung and other reactions relevant to fusion research.