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We study the relation between measured high-$x_B$, high-$Q^2$, Helium-3 to Tritium, $(e,e')$ inclusive-scattering cross-section ratios and the relative abundance of high-momentum neutron-proton ($np$) and proton-proton ($pp$) short-range correlated (SRC) nucleon pairs in three-body ($A=3$) nuclei. Analysis of this data using a simple pair-counting cross-section model suggested a much smaller $np/pp$ ratio than previously measured in heavier nuclei, questioning our understanding of $A=3$ nuclei and, by extension, all other nuclei. Here we examine this finding using spectral-function-based cross-section calculations, with both an \textit{ab initio} $A=3$ spectral function and effective Generalized Contact Formalism (GCF) spectral functions using different nucleon-nucleon interaction models. The \textit{ab initio} calculation agrees with the data, showing good understanding of the structure of $A=3$ nuclei. An 8\% uncertainty on the simple pair-counting model, as implied by the difference between it and the \textit{ab initio} calculation, gives a factor of 5 uncertainty in the extracted $np/pp$ ratio. Thus we see no evidence for the claimed ``unexpected structure in the high-momentum wavefunction for hydrogen-3 and helium-3''., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

This White Paper presents the community inputs and scientific conclusions from the Hot and Cold QCD Town Meeting that took place September 23-25, 2022 at MIT, as part of the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) 2023 Long Range Planning process. A total of 424 physicists registered for the meeting. The meeting highlighted progress in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) nuclear physics since the 2015 LRP (LRP15) and identified key questions and plausible paths to obtaining answers to those questions, defining priorities for our research over the coming decade. In defining the priority of outstanding physics opportunities for the future, both prospects for the short (~ 5 years) and longer term (5-10 years and beyond) are identified together with the facilities, personnel and other resources needed to maximize the discovery potential and maintain United States leadership in QCD physics worldwide. This White Paper is organized as follows: In the Executive Summary, we detail the Recommendations and Initiatives that were presented and discussed at the Town Meeting, and their supporting rationales. Section 2 highlights major progress and accomplishments of the past seven years. It is followed, in Section 3, by an overview of the physics opportunities for the immediate future, and in relation with the next QCD frontier: the EIC. Section 4 provides an overview of the physics motivations and goals associated with the EIC. Section 5 is devoted to the workforce development and support of diversity, equity and inclusion. This is followed by a dedicated section on computing in Section 6. Section 7 describes the national need for nuclear data science and the relevance to QCD research., Comment: QCD Town Meeting White Paper, as submitted to 2023 NSAC LRP committee on Feb. 28, 2023

The $\Lambda$ separation energies in the mirror hypernuclei ${_{\Lambda}^4}{\rm H}-{_{\Lambda}^4}{\rm He}$ exhibit large charge symmetry breaking (CSB). Analyzing this CSB within pionless effective field theory while using partially conserved baryon-baryon SU(3) flavor symmetry, we deduce a $\Lambda -\Sigma^0$ induced in-medium admixture amplitude ${\cal A}_{I=1}\approx 1.5\%$ in the dominantly isospin $I=0$ $\Lambda$ hyperon. Our results confirm the free-space value ${\cal A}^{(0)}_{I=1}$ inferred directly within the SU(3) baryon octet by Dalitz and von-Hippel in 1964 and reaffirmed in a recent QCD+QED lattice calculation. Furthermore, exploring the consequences of SU(3) flavor symmetry on the $\Lambda$-nucleon interaction, we find that CSB is expected to impact the $S=1$ and $S=0$ spin channels in opposite directions, with the latter dominating by an order of magnitude. These observations explain a recent deduction of $\Lambda$-nucleon CSB strengths., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, to be submitted for publication. v2: slightly shortened, submitted for publication. v3: slightly revised in response to referee remarks. v4: as published in PRC 106 (2022) L031001. v5: inessential typos corrected in eqs.(4,5,9) here and in the latest PRC published version

We perform a systematic study of the $\alpha$-particle excitation from its ground state $0_1^+$ to the $0_2^+$ resonance. The so-called monopole transition form factor is investigated via an electron scattering experiment in a broad $Q^2$-range (from $0.5$ to $5.0$ fm$^{-2}$). The precision of the new data dramatically superseeds that of older sets of data, each covering only a portion of the $Q^2$-range. The new data allow the determination of two coefficients in a low-momentum expansion leading to a new puzzle. By confronting experiment to state-of-the-art theoretical calculations we observe that modern nuclear forces, including those derived within chiral effective field theory which are well tested on a variety of observables, fail to reproduce the excitation of the $\alpha$-particle.

Response functions are at the heart of any comparison of theory with experiment in studies of the nuclear dynamics with electroweak probes. Calculations performed in the laboratory frame often suffer from center of mass contaminations that need to be removed. By confining the system in a harmonic oscillator, we derive a set of analytical formulas to subtract the center of mass effects from calculations of response functions and associated sum rules. After a general analytical derivation, we first deal specifically with the longitudinal response function appearing in electron scattering and provide expressions for the center of mass correcting functions. Next, we present a proof of principle study for the case of the electric dipole sum rules in a two-body problem with a numerical implementation of our formalism. These steps pave the way to applying the proposed method to heavier nuclei in the future., Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures

Consequences of increasing the binding energy of the hypertriton ground state ${_{\Lambda}^3}{\rm H}(J^P={\frac{1}{2}}^+)$ from the emulsion value $B^{\rm EMUL}_{\Lambda}({_{\Lambda}^3}{\rm H}_{\rm g.s.})$=0.13$\pm$0.05 MeV to the STAR value $B^{\rm STAR}_{\Lambda}(^{3}_{\Lambda}{\rm H}) = (0.41\pm 0.12 \pm 0.11)$ MeV are studied for $s$-shell hypernuclei within a pionless EFT approach at leading order, constrained by the binding energies of the $0^+$ and $1^+$ ${_{\Lambda}^4} {\rm H}$ states. The stochastic variational method is used in bound-state calculations, whereas the inverse analytic continuation in the coupling constant method is used to locate $S$-matrix poles of continuum states. It is found that the $\Lambda nn({\frac{1}{2}}^+)$ resonance becomes broader and less likely to be observed experimentally, whereas the ${_{\Lambda}^3}{\rm H}({\frac{3}{2}}^+)$ spin-flip virtual state moves closer to the $\Lambda d$ threshold to become a shallow bound state for specific $\Lambda N$ interaction strengths. The effect of such a near-threshold ${_{\Lambda}^3}{\rm H}({\frac{3}{2}}^+)$ state on femtoscopic studies of $\Lambda$-deuteron correlations, and its lifetime if bound, are discussed. Increasing $B_{\Lambda}({_{\Lambda}^3} {\rm H}_{\rm g.s.})$ moderately, up to $\sim$0.5 MeV, hardly affects calculated values of $B_{\Lambda}({_{\Lambda}^5}{\rm He})$.

Experiments at DA$\Phi$NE-Frascati and at J-PARC are scheduled to produce $K^-$D atoms and observe their X-ray cascade down to the 1$S$ ground state (g.s.), thereby measuring its strong-interaction width and shift away from a purely Coulomb state. A width $\Gamma_{1S}\lesssim 1$ keV will ensure good resolution of the X-ray transitions feeding the 1$S$ g.s. Here we study the expected $K^-$D 1$S$ g.s. width from the perspective of global fits to level shifts and widths in heavier kaonic atoms across the periodic table, using $K^-$ nuclear optical potentials constructed from $\bar K N$ chiral interaction models. Special attention is paid to the subthreshold energy at which the $\bar K N$ subsystem interacts in the $K^-$D atomic g.s. Within this approach we predict strong-interaction upward level shift of close to 700 eV and width of about 1.2 to 1.3 keV for the $K^-$D atom 1$S$ g.s., in fair agreement with genuinely three-body $K^-$D atom calculations. Comparison is made with $\pi^-$D atom phenomenology., Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables; v1--to be submitted for publication, comments are welcome; v2--slightly edited, submitted for publication; v3--very slightly revised without any of the original results changed, accepted for publication in NPA

The nature of the $\Lambda nn$ and ${\rm ^3_\Lambda H^*} (J^\pi=3/2^+,~I=0)$ states is investigated within a pionless effective field theory at leading order, constrained by the low energy $\Lambda N$ scattering data and hypernuclear 3- and 4-body data. Bound state solutions are obtained using the stochastic variational method, the continuum region is studied by employing two independent methods - the inverse analytic continuation in the coupling constant method and the complex scaling method. Our calculations yield both the $\Lambda nn$ and ${\rm ^3_\Lambda H^*}$ states unbound. We conclude that the excited state ${\rm ^3_\Lambda H^*}$ is a virtual state and the $\Lambda nn$ pole located close to the three-body threshold in a complex energy plane could convert to a true resonance with Re$(E)>0$ for some considered $\Lambda N$ interactions. Finally, the stability of resonance solutions is discussed and limits of the accuracy of performed calculations are assessed.

We performed calculations of nuclear systems composed solely of $\Lambda^*$ hyperons, aiming at exploring the possibility of existence of absolutely stable $\Lambda^*$ matter. We considered $\Lambda^*$ interaction strengths compatible with the $\Lambda^*\Lambda^*$ binding energy $B_{\Lambda^*\Lambda^*}$ given by the $\bar{K}N$ interaction model by Yamazaki and Akaishi [1]. We found that the binding energy per $\Lambda^*$ saturates at values well below 100 MeV for mass number $A\geq120$. The $\Lambda^*$ matter is thus highly unstable against strong interaction decay., Comment: Proceedings of HADRON2019, 16 - 21 August 2019, Guilin, China, to appear in International Journal of Modern Physics A

The extraction of the relative abundances of short-range correlated (SRC) nucleon pairs from inclusive electron scattering is studied using the generalized contact formalism (GCF) with several nuclear interaction models. GCF calculations can reproduce the observed scaling of the cross-section ratios for nuclei relative to deuterium at high-$x_B$ and large-$Q^2$, $a_2=(\sigma_A/A)/(\sigma_d/2)$. In the non-relativistic instant-form formulation, the calculation is very sensitive to the model parameters and only reproduces the data using parameters that are inconsistent with ab-initio many-body calculations. Using a light-cone GCF formulation significantly decreases this sensitivity and improves the agreement with ab-initio calculations. The ratio of similar mass isotopes, such as $^{40}$Ca and $^{48}$Ca, should be sensitive to the nuclear asymmetry dependence of SRCs, but is found to also be sensitive to low-energy nuclear structure. Thus the empirical association of SRC pair abundances with the measured $a_2$ values is only accurate to about $20\%$. Improving this will require cross-section calculations that reproduce the data while properly accounting for both nuclear structure and relativistic effects., Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C (Lett). 6 pages, 4 figures, and online supplementary materials

The strong nuclear interaction between nucleons (protons and neutrons) is the effective force that holds the atomic nucleus together. This force stems from fundamental interactions between quarks and gluons (the constituents of nucleons) that are described by the equations of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). However, as these equations cannot be solved directly, physicists resort to describing nuclear interactions using effective models that are well constrained at typical inter-nucleon distances in nuclei but not at shorter distances. This limits our ability to describe high-density nuclear matter such as in the cores of neutron stars. Here we use high-energy electron scattering measurements that isolate nucleon pairs in short-distance, high-momentum configurations thereby accessing a kinematical regime that has not been previously explored by experiments, corresponding to relative momenta above 400 MeV/c. As the relative momentum between two nucleons increases and their separation thereby decreases, we observe a transition from a spin-dependent tensor-force to a predominantly spin-independent scalar-force. These results demonstrate the power of using such measurements to study the nuclear interaction at short-distances and also support the use of point-like nucleons with two- and three-body effective interactions to describe nuclear systems up to densities several times higher than the central density of atomic nuclei., Comment: Total 26 pages, 13 figures. Main text: 8 pages, 3 figures. Methods section: 6 pages. Extended Data: 8 figures, 1 table. Supplementary Materials: 8 pages, 2 figures

The spectrum of hypernuclear trios composed of a $\Lambda$ baryon and two nucleons is the subject of an ongoing experimental campaign, aiming to study the interaction of the $\Lambda$ particle with a neutron, and the 3-body $\Lambda$-nucleon-nucleon force. In this manuscript we utilize baryonic effective field theory at leading order, constrained to reproduce the available low energy light hypernuclear data, to study the continuum spectrum of such hypernuclear trios. Using the complex scaling method and the inverse analytic continuation in the coupling constant method we find the existence of a virtual state in the $\Lambda n p$ $J^{\pi}=\frac{3}{2}^{+}$ channel, leading to cross-section enhancement near threshold. For the $\Lambda n n$ $J^{\pi}=\frac{1}{2}^{+}$ channel we predict a resonance state. Depending, however, on the value of the $\Lambda N$ scattering length, the resonance pole moves from the physical to the unphysical complex energy sheet within the experimental bounds., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures

Measurements of short-range correlations in exclusive $^4$He$(e,e'pN)$ reactions are analyzed using the Generalized Contact Formalism (GCF). We consider both instant-form and light-cone formulations with both the AV18 and local N2LO(1.0) nucleon-nucleon ($NN$) potentials. We find that kinematic distributions, such as the reconstructed pair opening angle, recoil neutron momentum distribution, and pair center of mass motion, as well as the measured missing energy, missing mass distributions, are all well reproduced by GCF calculations. The missing momentum dependence of the measured $^4$He$(e,e'pN)$ / $^4$He$(e,e'p)$ cross-section ratios, sensitive to nature of the $NN$ interaction at short-distacnes, are also well reproduced by GCF calculations using either interaction and formulation. This gives credence to the GCF scale-separated factorized description of the short-distance many-body nuclear wave-function., Comment: Accepted for publication in Physics Letters B. 8 pages, 4 figures and online supplementary materials

Ab-initio Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) calculations of nuclei from deuterium to 40Ca, obtained using four different phenomenological and local chiral nuclear potentials, are analyzed using the Generalized Contact Formalism (GCF). We extract spin- and isospin-dependent "nuclear contact terms" for each interaction in both coordinate and momentum space. The extracted contact terms, that count the number of short-range correlated (SRC) pairs with different quantum numbers, are dependent on the nuclear interaction model used in the QMC calculation. However, the ratios of contact terms for a nucleus A to deuterium (for spin-1 pn pairs) or to 4He (for all NN pairs) are independent of the nuclear interaction model and are the same for both short-distance and high-momentum pairs. This implies that the relative abundance of short-range pairs in the nucleus is a long-range (mean-field) quantity that is insensitive to the short-distance nature of the nuclear force. Measurements of exclusive (e,e'NN) pair breakup processes are instead more sensitive to short-range dynamics, Comment: Published in Nature Physics. 8 pages, 6 figures 1 table

Binding energies of light, $A\leq 6$, $\Lambda\Lambda$ hypernuclei are calculated using the stochastic variational method in a pionless effective field theory (EFT) approach at leading order with the purpose of assessing critically the onset of binding in the strangeness S=-2 hadronic sector. The EFT input in this sector consists of (i) a $\Lambda\Lambda$ contact term constrained by the $\Lambda\Lambda$ scattering length $a_{\Lambda\Lambda}$, using a range of values compatible with $\Lambda\Lambda$ correlations observed in relativistic heavy ion collisions, and (ii) a $\Lambda\Lambda N$ contact term constrained by the only available $A\leq 6$ $\Lambda\Lambda$ hypernucler binding energy datum of $^{6}_{\Lambda\Lambda}$He. The recently debated neutral three-body and four-body systems $^{3}_{\Lambda\Lambda}$n and $^{4}_{\Lambda\Lambda}$n are found unbound by a wide margin. A relatively large value of $|a_{\Lambda\Lambda}| \gtrsim 1.5$ fm is needed to bind $^{4}_{\Lambda\Lambda}$H, thereby questioning its particle stability. In contrast, the particle stability of the $A=5$ $\Lambda\Lambda$ hypernuclear isodoublet $^{5}_{\Lambda\Lambda} $H--$^{5}_{\Lambda\Lambda}$He is robust, with $\Lambda$ separation energy of order 1 MeV., Comment: v2 -- 14 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, slightly revised, accepted for publication in PLB

A hypothesis of absolutely stable strange hadronic matter composed of $\Lambda(1405)$ baryons, here denoted $\Lambda^*$, is tested within many-body calculations performed using the Relativistic Mean-Field approach. In our calculations, we employed the $\Lambda^*\Lambda^*$ interaction compatible with the $\Lambda^*\Lambda^*$ binding energy $B_{\Lambda^*\Lambda^*}=40$~MeV given by the phenomenological energy-independent $\bar{K}N$ interaction model by Yamazaki and Akaishi (YA). We found that the binding energy per $\Lambda^*$, as well as the central density in $\Lambda^*$ many-body systems saturates for mass number $A\geq120$, leaving $\Lambda^*$ aggregates highly unstable against strong interaction decay. Moreover, we confronted the YA interaction model with kaonic atom data and found that it fails to reproduce the $K^-$ single-nucleon absorption fractions at rest from bubble chamber experiments., Comment: Proceedings of the HYP2018 conference, Norfolk/Portsmouth, USA, June 24 - 29, 2018, submitted to AIP Conference Proceedings

We present benchmark calculations of Zemach moments and radii of 2,3H and 3,4He using various few-body methods. Zemach moments are required to interpret muonic atom data measured by the CREMA collaboration at the Paul Scherrer Institute. Conversely, radii extracted from spectroscopic measurements can be compared with ab initio computations, posing stringent constraints on the nuclear model. For a given few-body method, different numerical procedures can be applied to compute these quantities. A detailed analysis of the numerical uncertainties entering the total theoretical error is presented. Uncertainties from the few-body method and the calculational procedure are found to be smaller than the dependencies on the dynamical modeling and the single nucleon inputs, which are found to be <= 2%. When relativistic corrections and two-body currents are accounted for, the calculated moments and radii are in very good agreement with the available experimental data., Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures

We measured the triple coincidence A(e,e'np) and A(e,e'pp) reactions on carbon, aluminum, iron, and lead targets at Q2 > 1.5 (GeV/c)2, xB > 1.1 and missing momentum > 400 MeV/c. This was the first direct measurement of both proton-proton (pp) and neutron-proton (np) short-range correlated (SRC) pair knockout from heavy asymmetric nuclei. For all measured nuclei, the average proton-proton (pp) to neutron-proton (np) reduced cross-section ratio is about 6%, in agreement with previous indirect measurements. Correcting for Single-Charge Exchange effects decreased the SRC pairs ratio to ~ 3%, which is lower than previous results. Comparisons to theoretical Generalized Contact Formalism (GCF) cross-section calculations show good agreement using both phenomenological and chiral nucleon-nucleon potentials, favoring a lower pp to np pair ratio. The ability of the GCF calculation to describe the experimental data using either phenomenological or chiral potentials suggests possible reduction of scale- and scheme-dependence in cross section ratios. Our results also support the high-resolution description of high-momentum states being predominantly due to nucleons in SRC pairs., Comment: Accepted for publication in PRL. 9 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables and supplementary materials

In this contribution we report on theoretical studies of $\eta$ nuclear quasi-bound states in few- and many-body systems performed recently by the Jerusalem-Prague Collaboration [1-5]. Underlying energy-dependent $\eta N$ interactions are derived from coupled-channel models that incorporate the $N^*(1535)$ resonance. The role of self-consistent treatment of the strong energy dependence of subthreshold $\eta N$ amplitudes is discussed. Quite large downward energy shift together with rapid decrease of the $\eta N$ amplitudes below threshold result in relatively small binding energies and widths of the calculated $\eta$ nuclear bound states. We argue that the subthreshold behavior of $\eta N$ scattering amplitudes is crucial to conclude whether $\eta$ nuclear states exist, in which nuclei the $\eta$ meson could be bound and if the corresponding widths are small enough to allow detection of these $\eta$ nuclear states in experiment., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures; presented at HADRON2017, Sept. 25-29, 2017, Salamanca (Spain); prepared for Proceedings of Science

The onset of binding $\eta$(548) mesons in nuclei is studied in the He isotopes by doing precise $\eta NNN$ and $\eta NNNN$ few-body stochastic variational method calculations for two semi-realistic $NN$ potentials and two energy dependent $\eta N$ potentials derived from coupled-channel models of the $N^{\ast}(1535)$ nucleon resonance. The energy dependence of the $\eta N$ subthreshold input is treated self consistently. It is found that a minimal value of the real part of the $\eta N$ scattering length $a_{\eta N}$ close to 1 fm is required to bind $\eta$ mesons in $^3$He, yielding then a few MeV $\eta$ binding in $^4$He. The onset of $\eta$-meson binding in $^4$He requires that Re$\,a_{\eta N}$ exceeds 0.7 fm approximately. These results compare well with results of recent $\eta NNN$ and $\eta NNNN$ pionless effective field theory calculations. Related optical-model calculations are also discussed., Comment: v3 -- 18 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables, and matching the published version

$\eta NNN$ and $\eta NNNN$ bound states are explored in stochastic variational method (SVM) calculations within a pionless effective field theory (EFT) approach at leading order. The theoretical input consists of regulated $NN$ and $NNN$ contact terms, and a regulated energy dependent $\eta N$ contact term derived from coupled-channel models of the $N^{\ast}(1535)$ nucleon resonance plus a regulated $\eta NN$ contact term. A self consistency procedure is applied to deal with the energy dependence of the $\eta N$ subthreshold input, resulting in a weak dependence of the calculated $\eta$-nuclear binding energies on the EFT regulator. It is found, in terms of the $\eta N$ scattering length $a_{\eta N}$, that the onset of binding $\eta\,^3$He requires a minimal value of Re$\,a_{\eta N}$ close to 1 fm, yielding then a few MeV $\eta$ binding in $\eta\,^4$He. The onset of binding $\eta\,^4$He requires a lower value of Re$\,a_{\eta N}$, but exceeding 0.7 fm., Comment: v4 consists of the published Physics Letters B version [31] plus Erratum ([30], Appendix A here); main results and conclusions remain intact

The Non-Symmetrized Hyperspherical Harmonics method (NSHH) is introduced in the hypernuclear sector and benchmarked with three different ab-initio methods, namely the Auxiliary Field Diffusion Monte Carlo method, the Faddeev-Yakubovsky approach and the Gaussian Expansion Method. Binding energies and hyperon separation energies of three- to five-body hypernuclei are calculated by employing the two-body $\Lambda$N component of the phenomenological Bodmer-Usmani potential, and a hyperon-nucleon interaction simulating the scattering phase shifts given by NSC97f. The range of applicability of the NSHH method is briefly discussed.

Atomic nuclei are complex strongly interacting systems and their exact theoretical description is a long-standing challenge. An approximate description of nuclei can be achieved by separating its short and long range structure. This separation of scales stands at the heart of the nuclear shell model and effective field theories that describe the long-range structure of the nucleus using a mean- field approximation. We present here an effective description of the complementary short-range structure using contact terms and stylized two-body asymptotic wave functions. The possibility to extract the nuclear contacts from experimental data is presented. Regions in the two-body momentum distribution dominated by high-momentum, close-proximity, nucleon pairs are identified and compared to experimental data. The amount of short-range correlated (SRC) nucleon pairs is determined and compared to measurements. Non-combinatorial isospin symmetry for SRC pairs is identified. The obtained one-body momentum distributions indicate dominance of SRC pairs above the nuclear Fermi-momentum., Comment: Accepted for publication in Physics Letters. 6 pages, 2 figures

The electric dipole polarizability quantifies the low-energy behaviour of the dipole strength and is related to critical observables such as the radii of the proton and neutron distributions. Its computation is challenging because most of the dipole strength lies in the scattering continuum. In this paper we combine integral transforms with the coupled-cluster method and compute the dipole polarizability using bound-state techniques. Employing different interactions from chiral effective field theory, we confirm the strong correlation between the dipole polarizability and the charge radius, and study its dependence on three-nucleon forces. We find good agreement with data for the 4He, 40Ca, and 16O nuclei, and predict the dipole polarizability for the rare nucleus 22O., Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures

Measuring the 2S-2P Lamb shift in a hydrogen-like muonic atom allows one to extract its nuclear charge radius with a high precision that is limited by the uncertainty in the nuclear structure corrections. The charge radius of the proton thus extracted was found to be 7-sigma away from the CODATA value, in what has become the yet unsolved "proton radius puzzle". Further experiments currently aim at the isotopes of hydrogen and helium: the precise extraction of their radii may provide a hint at the solution of the puzzle. We present the first ab initio calculation of nuclear structure corrections, including the nuclear polarization correction, to the 2S-2P transition in $\mu^3$He$^+$ and $\mu^3$H, and assess solid theoretical error bars. Our predictions reduce the uncertainty in the nuclear structure corrections to the level of a few percents and will be instrumental to the on-going $\mu^3$He$^+$ experiment. We also support the mirror $\mu\,^3$H system as a candidate for further probing of the nucleon polarizabilities and shedding more light on the puzzle., Comment: 7 pgs., 1 fig., 1 table, plus Supplementary Materials (3 pgs., 2 tables)

In this contribution we review and clarify the arguments which might allow the interpretation of the isoscalar monopole resonance of $^4$He as a collective breathing mode., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings of the 21st international conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics, May 18-22,2015, Chicago (USA)

What is the size of the atomic nucleus? This deceivably simple question is difficult to answer. While the electric charge distributions in atomic nuclei were measured accurately already half a century ago, our knowledge of the distribution of neutrons is still deficient. In addition to constraining the size of atomic nuclei, the neutron distribution also impacts the number of nuclei that can exist and the size of neutron stars. We present an ab initio calculation of the neutron distribution of the neutron-rich nucleus $^{48}$Ca. We show that the neutron skin (difference between radii of neutron and proton distributions) is significantly smaller than previously thought. We also make predictions for the electric dipole polarizability and the weak form factor; both quantities are currently targeted by precision measurements. Based on ab initio results for $^{48}$Ca, we provide a constraint on the size of a neutron star.

We report on precise hyperspherical-basis calculations of $\eta NN$ and $\eta NNN$ quasibound states, using energy dependent $\eta N$ interaction potentials derived from coupled-channel models of the $S_{11}$ $N^{\ast}(1535)$ nucleon resonance. The $\eta N$ attraction generated in these models is too weak to generate a two-body bound state. No $\eta NN$ bound-state solution was found in our calculations in models where Re $a_{\eta N}\lesssim 1$ fm, with $a_{\eta N}$ the $\eta N$ scattering length, covering thereby the majority of $N^{\ast}(1535)$ resonance models. A near-threshold $\eta NNN$ bound-state solution, with $\eta$ separation energy of less than 1 MeV and width of about 15 MeV, was obtained in the 2005 Green-Wycech model where Re $a_{\eta N}\approx 1$ fm. The role of handling self consistently the subthreshold $\eta N$ interaction is carefully studied., Comment: a second footnote added in v2, matching published version

We combine the coupled-cluster method and the Lorentz integral transform for the computation of inelastic reactions into the continuum. We show that the bound-state-like equation characterizing the Lorentz integral transform method can be reformulated based on extensions of the coupled-cluster equation-of-motion method, and we discuss strategies for viable numerical solutions. Starting from a chiral nucleon-nucleon interaction at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order, we compute the giant dipole resonances of 4He, 16,22O and 40Ca, truncating the coupled-cluster equation-of-motion method at the two-particle-two-hole excitation level. Within this scheme, we find a low-lying E1 strength in the neutron-rich 22O nucleus, which compares fairly well with data from [Leistenschneider et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 5442 (2001)]. We also compute the electric dipole polariziability in 40Ca. Deficiencies of the employed Hamiltonian lead to overbinding, too small charge radii and a too small electric dipole polarizability in 40Ca., Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures, published version

We show how nuclear effective field theory (EFT) and ab initio nuclear-structure methods can turn input from lattice quantum chromodynamics (LQCD) into predictions for the properties of nuclei. We argue that pionless EFT is the appropriate theory to describe the light nuclei obtained in recent LQCD simulations carried out at pion masses much heavier than the physical pion mass. We solve the EFT using the effective-interaction hyperspherical harmonics and auxiliary-field diffusion Monte Carlo methods. Fitting the three leading-order EFT parameters to the deuteron, dineutron and triton LQCD energies at $m_{\pi}\approx 800$ MeV, we reproduce the corresponding alpha-particle binding and predict the binding energies of mass-5 and 6 ground states., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures

We present an ab-initio study of the isoscalar monopole excitations of 4He using different realistic nuclear interactions, including modern effective field theory potentials. In particular we concentrate on the transition form factor $F_{\cal M}$ to the narrow $0^+$ resonance close to threshold. F_M exhibits a strong potential model dependence, and can serve as a kind of prism to distinguish among different nuclear force models. Comparing to the measurements obtained from inelastic electron scattering off 4He, one finds that the state-of-the-art theoretical transition form factors are at variance with experimental data, especially in the case of effective field theory potentials. We discuss some possible reasons for such discrepancy, which still remains a puzzle., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, minor changes

Binding energies and widths of three-body KbarNN, and of four-body KbarNNN and KbarKbarNN nuclear quasibound states are calculated in the hyperspherical basis, using realistic NN potentials and subthreshold energy dependent chiral KbarN interactions. Results of previous K^-pp calculations are reproduced and an upper bound is placed on the binding energy of a K^-d quasibound state. A self consistent handling of energy dependence is found to restrain binding, keeping the calculated four-body ground-state binding energies to relatively low values of about 30 MeV. The lightest strangeness -2 particle-stable Kbar nuclear cluster is most probably KbarKbarNN. The calculated Kbar N -> pi Y conversion widths range from approximately 30 MeV for the KbarNNN ground state to approximately 80 MeV for the KbarKbarNN ground state., Comment: v3 matching journal publication

We present ab-initio calculations of the binding energy and radii of the two-neutron halo nucleus 6He using two-body low-momentum interactions based on chiral effective field theory potentials. Calculations are performed via a hyperspherical harmonics expansion where the convergence is sped up introducing an effective interaction for non-local potentials. The latter is essential to reach a satisfactory convergence of the extended matter radius and of the point-proton radius. The dependence of the results on the resolution scale is studied. A correlation is found between the radii and the two-neutron separation energy. The importance of three-nucleon forces is pointed out comparing our results and previous calculations to experiment., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, minor changes, published version

A different formulation of the effective interaction hyperspherical harmonics (EIHH) method, suitable for non-local potentials, is presented. The EIHH method for local interactions is first shortly reviewed to point out the problems of an extension to non-local potentials. A viable solution is proposed and, as an application, results on the ground-state properties of 4- and 6-nucleon systems are presented. One finds a substantial acceleration in the convergence rate of the hyperspherical harmonics series. Perspectives for an application to scattering cross sections, via the Lorentz transform method are discussed., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, to be published in the Proceedings of the International Nuclear Physics Conference, Vancouver, 2010

This work is concerned with multi-dimensional integrals, which are making their appearance in few-body atomic and nuclear physics. It is shown that the relevant two- and three-dimensional integrals can be reduced to one-dimensional form. This implies that the internal one- and two-dimensional integrals can be evaluated in explicit analytic form in term of the familiar generalized hypergeometric functions. Some of the integrals are presented here for the first time., Comment: 13 pages

Integral transform approaches are numerous in many fields of physics, but in most cases limited to the use of the Laplace kernel. However, it is well known that the inversion of the Laplace transform is very problematic, so that the function related to the physical observable is in most cases unaccessible. The great advantage of kernels of bell-shaped form has been demonstrated in few-body nuclear systems. In fact the use of the Lorentz kernel has allowed to overcome the stumbling block of the ab initio description of reactions to the full continuum of systems of more than three particles. The problem of finding kernels of similar form, applicable to many-body problems deserves particular attention. If this search were successful the integral transform approach might represent the only viable ab initio access to many observables that are not calculable directly., Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, contribution to J. Phys G, Special Issue, Focus Section: Open Problems in Nuclear Structure

The Lorentz integral transform method is briefly reviewed. The issue of the inversion of the transform, and in particular its ill-posedness, is addressed. It is pointed out that the mathematical term ill-posed is misleading and merely due to a historical misconception. In this connection standard regularization procedures for the solution of the integral transform problem are presented. In particular a recent one is considered in detail and critical comments on it are provided. In addition a general remark concerning the concept of the Lorentz integral transform as a method with a controlled resolution is made., Comment: 10 pages, this version has been made more self-contained

We present an exact calculation of $S$ and $P$ wave $QQ\bar n\bar n$ states using different standard nonrelativistic quark--quark potentials. We explore in detail the charm and bottom sectors looking for bound states that could be measured within existing facilities. Against the proliferation of four--quark states sometimes predicted in the literature, we found a small number of candidates to be stable. We analyze their properties in a trial to distinguish between compact and molecular states. Possible decay modes are discussed.

The physics of charm has become one of the best laboratories exposing the limitations of the naive constituent quark model and also giving hints into a more mature description of meson spectroscopy, beyond the simple quark--antiquark configurations. In this talk we review some recent studies of multiquark components in the charm sector and discuss in particular exotic and non-exotic four-quark systems, both with pairwise and many-body forces., Comment: 6 pages. Article based on the presentations by J. Vijande and J.-M. Richard at the Fifth Workshop on Critical Stability, Erice, Sicily

The longitudinal response function of 4He is calculated with the Argonne V18 potential. The comparison with experiment suggests the need of a three-body force. When adding the Urbana IX three-body potential in the calculation of the lower longitudinal multipoles, the total strength is suppressed in the quasi-elastic peak, towards the trend of the experimental data., Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, proceedings of the 20th European Conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics (EFB20)

To obtain an exact solution of a four-body system containing two quarks and two antiquarks interacting through two-body terms is a cumbersome task that has been tackled with more or less success during the last decades. We present an exact method for the study of four-quark systems based on the hyperspherical harmonics formalism that allows us to solve it without resorting to further approximations, like for instance the existence of diquark components. We apply it to systems containing two heavy and two light quarks using different quark-quark potentials. While $QQ\bar n \bar n$ states may be stable in nature, the stability of $Q\bar Qn \bar n$ states would imply the existence of quark correlations not taken into account by simple quark dynamical models., Comment: 3 pages. Contribution to the 20th European Conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics, Pisa, Italy. To be published in Few-Body systems

The physics of charm has become one of the best laboratories exposing the limitations of the naive constituent quark model and also giving hints into a more mature description of hadron spectroscopy. Recent discoveries are a challenge that have revolutionized our understanding of the hadron spectra. In this talk we address the study of many-quark components in charmonium spectra. To make the physics clear we also discuss exotic many-quark systems., Comment: Talk given at HADRON '07, Frascati, Italy, October 2007

We present an exact method to study four-quark systems based on the hyperspherical harmonics formalism. We apply it to several physical systems of interest containing two heavy and two light quarks using different quark-quark potentials. Our conclusions mark the boundaries for the possible existence of compact, non-molecular, four-quark bound states. While $QQ\bar n \bar n$ states may be stable in nature, the stability of $Q\bar Qn \bar n$ states would imply the existence of quark correlations not taken into account by simple quark dynamical models, Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D

The four--quark system $c\bar c n\bar n$ is studied in the framework of the constituent quark model. Using different types of quark-quark potentials, we solve the four--body Schr\"odinger equation by means of the hyperspherical harmonic formalism. Exploring the low laying $J^{PC}$ states for different isospin configurations no four-quark bound states have been found. Of particular interest is the possible four-quark structure of the X(3872). We rule out the possibility that this particle is a compact tetraquark system, unless additional correlations, either in the form of diquarks or at the level of the interacting potential, not considered in simple quark models do contribute., Comment: 30 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D