Three-nucleon Interactions Research Articles

Ab initio calculations of anomalous seniority breaking in the πg9/2 shell for the N = 50 isotones

We performed ab initio valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group (VS-IMSRG) calculations based on chiral two-nucleon and three-nucleon interactions to investigate the anomalous seniority breaking in the neutron number N=50 isotones: 92Mo, 94Ru, 96Pd, and 98Cd. Our calculations well reproduced the measured low-lying spectra and electromagnetic E2 transitions in these nuclei, supporting partial seniority conservation in the first πg9/2 shell. Recent experiments have revealed that, compared to the symmetric patterns predicted under the conserved seniority symmetry, the 41+→21+E2 transition strength in 94Ru is significantly enhanced and that in 96Pd is suppressed. In contrast, the 61+→41+ and 81+→61+ transitions exhibit the opposite trend. We found that this anomalous asymmetry is sensitive to subtle seniority breaking effects, providing a stringent test for state-of-the-art nucleon-nucleon interactions and nuclear models. We analyzed the anomalous asymmetry using VS-IMSRG calculations across various valence spaces. Our ab initio results suggest that core excitations of both proton and neutron across the Z=50 shell are ascribed to the observed anomalous seniority breaking in the N=50 isotones.

Momentum Dependent Nucleon–Nucleon Contact Interactions and Their Effect on p-d\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$p-d$$\\end{document} Scattering Observables

Starting from a complete set of relativistic nucleon–nucleon contact operators up to order O(p4)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$O(p^4)$$\\end{document} of the expansion in the soft (relative or nucleon) momentum p, we show that non-relativistic expansions of relativistic operators involve twenty-six independent combinations, two starting at O(p0)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$O(p^0)$$\\end{document}, seven at order O(p2)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$O(p^2)$$\\end{document} and seventeen at order O(p4)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$O(p^4)$$\\end{document}. This demonstrates the existence of two low-energy free constants that parameterize interactions dependent on the total momentum of the pair of nucleons P. The latter, through the use of a unitary transformation, can be removed in the two-nucleon fourth-order contact interaction of the Chiral Effective Field Theory, generating a three-nucleon interaction at the same order. Within a hybrid approach in which this interaction is considered together with the phenomenological potential AV18, we show that the LECs involved can be used to fit very accurate data on the polarization observables of the low-energy p-d\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$p-d$$\\end{document} scattering, in particular the Ay\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$A_y$$\\end{document} asymmetry.

Ab initio calculations for well deformed nuclei: 40Mg and 42Si

We performed ab initio valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group calculations based on chiral nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon interactions to study the neutron-rich nuclei around N=28, where the experimental and theoretical evidence point to a rapid transition from spherical to rotational regimes. First, the rotational spectra of 40Mg, 42Si, and 44S are established theoretically, anchored by the calculated E2 transition strength. The results suggest that 40Mg and 42Si exhibit large deformations. After that, the erosion of the N=28 shell closure, especially the evolutions of shape deformation and the emergence of shape coexistence, are discussed in N=28 even-even isotones ranging from 40Mg to 48Ca. Finally, the shell evolution of N=28 in Mg and Si chains is discussed based on the experimental and predicted excitation energies of low-lying states. The results from our ab initio calculations align well with available experimental data, furnishing essential insights into the structure of neutron-rich nuclei, particularly deformations in the vicinity of 40Mg and 42Si.

Implications of Large-NcQCD for theNNInteraction

We present a method for ordering two-nucleon interactions based upon their scaling with the number of QCD colors, Nc, in the limit that Ncbecomes large. Available data in the two-nucleon sector show general agreement with this ordering, indicating that the method may be useful in other contexts where data are less readily available. However, several caveats and potential pitfalls can make the large- Ncordering fragile and/or vulnerable to misinterpretation. We discuss the application of the large- Ncanalysis to two- and three-nucleon interactions, including those originating from weak and BSM (beyond the Standard Model) interactions, as well as two-nucleon external currents. Finally, we discuss some open questions in the field.

Amplitudes of 3H, 3He Two-Particle Photo-Breakup in Non-Local QED Approach

Three-nucleon systems are essential for the investigation of many-body forces in nuclear physics. Well-grounded parametrization of their vertex functions with further application for the calculation of cross-sections in nonlocal QED approach provides the ground for investigation of the variety of multi-particle systems. In present paper we describe the process of parametrization of two-particle photo-breakup amplitudes of three-nucleon systems (3H, 3He). We provide the general description of the wave function construction for three-nucleon systems as well as the parametrization of their vertex functions accounting two- and three-nucleon interactions based on meson exchange current formalism. In our calculations we account first and second order one-pion exchange terms and the term related to the exchange of ω and ρ mesons. The three-nucleon interaction potential is given as a sum of attraction (two-pion exchange) term andappropriate repulsive part. Based on the variational ”Urbana + Model VII” amplitudes we provide the results for energy dependence of differential cross-section of 3He(γ, p)d reaction at proton angle θ = 90◦ from the threshold up to Eγ = 40 MeV and compare theoretical predictions with the available experimental data. The investigation is also provided for angular cross-section distributions at high photon energies (Eγ = 305 ± 5 MeV; 365 ± 5 MeV; 450 ± 10 MeV and 675 ± 50 MeV). Correct description of 3H, 3He photo-disintegration processes in a unified approach based on the gauge nature of the electromagnetic field implies application of this model for other multi-particle systems.

Ab initio investigations of A=8 nuclei: α–α scattering, deformation in 8He, radiative capture of protons on 7Be and 7Li and the X17 boson

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 8Be, the p+7Be and p+7Li radiative capture and the production of the hypothetical X17 boson claimed in ATOMKI experiments. The 7Be(p, γ)8B reaction plays a role in Solar nucleosynthesis and Solar neutrino physics and has been subject of numerous experimental investigations. We also highlight our investigation of the neutron rich exotic 8He that has been recently studied experimentally at TRIUMF with an unexpected deformation reported.

Study of the d(d, p) 3H and d(d, n) 3He processes at low energies

The processes d(d, p) 3H and d(d, n) 3 He at energies of interest for energy production and for big-bang nucleosynthesis are studied using the hyperspherical harmonic method. The interactions include modern two- and three-nucleon interactions, derived in chiral effective field theory. We report results for the astrophysical S-factor and the quintet suppression factor.

Combining the in-medium similarity renormalization group with the density matrix renormalization group: Shell structure and information entropy

We propose a novel many-body framework combining the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) with the valence-space (VS) formulation of the in-medium similarity renormalization group. This hybrid scheme admits for favorable computational scaling in large-space calculations compared to direct diagonalization. The capacity of the VS-DMRG approach is highlighted in ab initio calculations of neutron-rich nickel isotopes based on chiral two- and three-nucleon interactions, and allows us to perform converged ab initio computations of ground and excited state energies. We also study orbital entanglement in the VS-DMRG, and investigate nuclear correlation effects in oxygen, neon, and magnesium isotopes. The explored entanglement measures reveal nuclear shell closures as well as pairing correlations.

Revealing the strength of three-nucleon interactions with the proposed Einstein Telescope

Revealing the strength of three-nucleon interactions with the proposed Einstein Telescope

Effect of the N3LO three-nucleon contact interaction on p−d scattering observables

Chiral effective field theory allows one to express nuclear physics observables in terms of low-energy constants (LECs), representing physics at unresolved scales. In this work the authors focus on the two-nucleon contact interaction at fourth order (N3LO) and use a unitary transformation to reduce the number of involved LECs. This procedure induces a three-nucleon ($3N$) interaction depending on five unconstrained LECs. Those can be used, in association with a two-nucleon ($2N$) interaction, to fit very accurate data on polarization observables at low energies, in particular the $p$-$d$ ${A}_{y}$ polarization asymmetry. Thereby, adjusting the induced $3N$ N3LO LECs can solve the long-standing ${A}_{y}$ puzzle.

The nucleon-induced deuteron breakup process as a laboratory for chiral dynamics

The nucleon-induced deuteron breakup reaction is studied within the Faddeev approach at incoming nucleon laboratory energies of 135 and 200 MeV. The chiral semilocal momentum-space (SMS) potential developed up to N4LO+, supplemented by the N2LO three-nucleon interaction, is used. Our investigation is focused on the determination of theoretical uncertainties in a predicted cross section related to its dependence on the value of the cutoff parameter of the regulator. We also compare predictions based on the complete N2LO potential with those based on the two-nucleon force upgraded to the N4LO+ order and augmented with the N2LO three-nucleon force. In addition, we study the three-nucleon force effects predicted by this model of interaction. Our systematic study covers the entire kinematically allowed phase space; however, our main results are obtained when additional restrictions on energies and cross section values are imposed. In such a case, we observe that the dependence of the differential cross sections on the regulator cutoff is moderate at 135 MeV and much stronger at 200 MeV. For the latter energy, it can amount to up to 45% in specific kinematic configurations. Taking into account terms beyond, N2LO in a two-body interaction changes the cross section up to 20% (27%) at E = 135(200) MeV. The inclusion of the three-nucleon force leads to effects of approximately 27% at both energies. We illustrate these dependencies with a few examples of the exclusive cross section as a function of the arc length of the S-curve.

Quantum Monte Carlo calculations in configuration space with three-nucleon forces

Neutron matter, through its connection to neutron stars as well as systems like cold atom gases, is one of the most interesting yet computationally accessible systems in nuclear physics. The Configuration-Interaction Monte Carlo (CIMC) method is a stochastic many-body technique allowing to tackle strongly coupled systems. In contrast to other Quantum Monte Carlo methods employed in nuclear physics, the CIMC method can be formulated directly in momentum space allowing for an efficient use of non-local interactions. In this work we extend CIMC method to include three-nucleon interactions through the normal-ordered two-body approximation. We present results for the equation of state of neutron matter in line with other many-body calculations that employ low resolution chiral interactions, and provide predictions for the momentum distribution and the static structure factor.

Theoretical Study of the d(d, p)^{3}H and d(d, n)^{3}He Processes at Low Energies.

We present a theoretical study of the processes d(d,p)^{3}H and d(d,n)^{3}He at energies of interest for energy production and for big-bang nucleosynthesis. We accurately solve the four body scattering problem using the abinitio hyperspherical harmonics method, starting from nuclear Hamiltonians which include modern two- and three-nucleon interactions, derived in chiral effective field theory. We report results for the astrophysical S factor, the quintet suppression factor, and various single and double polarized observables. A first estimate of the theoretical uncertainty for all these quantities is provided by varying the cutoff parameter used to regularize the chiral interactions at high momentum.

Single-particle spectroscopic strength from nucleon transfer reactions with a three-nucleon force contribution

The direct reaction theory widely used to study single-particle spectroscopic strength in nucleon transfer experiments is based on a Hamiltonian with two-nucleon interactions only. We point out that in reactions with a loosely-bound projectile, where clustering and breakup effects are important, an additional three-body force arises due to three-nucleon (3N) interaction between two nucleons belonging to different clusters in the projectile and a target nucleon. We study the effects of this force on nucleon transfer in (d,p) and (d,n) reactions on 56Ni, 48Ca, 26mAl and 24O targets at deuteron incident energies between 4 and 40 MeV/nucleon. Deuteron breakup is treated exactly within a continuum discretized coupled-channel approach. It was found that an additional three-body force can noticeably alter the angular distributions at forward angles, with consequences for spectroscopic factors' studies. Additional study of transfer to 2p continuum in the 25F(p,2p)24O reaction, involving the same overlap function as in the 24O(d,n)25F case, revealed that 3N force affects the (d,n) and (p,2p) reactions in a similar way, increasing the cross sections and decreasing spectroscopic factors, although its influence at the main peak of (p,2p) is weaker. The angle-integrated cross sections are found to be less sensitive to the 3N force contribution, they increase by less than 20%. Including 3N interactions in nucleon removal reactions makes an essential step towards bringing together nuclear structure theory, where 3N force is routinely used, and nuclear direct reaction theory, based on two-nucleon interactions only.

Normal ordering of three-nucleon interactions for ab initio calculations of heavy nuclei

Three-nucleon (3N) interactions are key for an accurate solution of the nuclear many-body problem. However, fully taking into account 3N forces constitutes a computational challenge and hence approximate treatments are commonly employed. The method of normal ordering has proven to be a powerful tool that allows to systematically include 3N interactions in an efficient way, but traditional normal-ordering frameworks require the representation of 3N interactions in a large single-particle basis, typically necessitating a truncation of 3N matrix elements. While this truncation has only a minor impact for light and medium-mass nuclei, its effects become sizable for heavier systems and hence limit the scope of \textit{ab initio} calculations. In this work, we present a novel normal-ordering framework that allows to circumvent this limitation by performing the normal ordering directly in a Jacobi basis. We discuss in detail the new framework, benchmark it against established results, and present calculations for ground-state energies and charge radii of heavy nuclei, such as $^{132}$Sn and $^{208}$Pb.

Ab initio calculation of muon capture on Mg24

In this work we study ordinary muon capture (OMC) on $^{24}$Mg from a first principles perspective. Starting from a particular two- and three-nucleon interaction derived from chiral effective field theory, we use the valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group (VS-IMSRG) framework to construct effective Hamiltonians and muon-capture operators which nonperturbatively account for many-body physics outside the valence space. The obtained nuclear matrix elements are compared against those from the phenomenological shell model. The impact of including the correlations from the nuclear shell model (NSM) as well as including the induced two-body part is studied in detail. Furthermore, the effects of realistic bound-muon wave function on the operators is studied. Finally, predictions for capture rates to the lowest excited states in $^{24}$Na are given and compared with available data. It is found that the spectroscopic properties of $^{24}$Mg and its OMC daughter $^{24}$Na are fairly well described by both the NSM and VS-IMSRG, and that the effect of the hadronic two-body currents significantly reduces the OMC rates. Both models have some difficulties in matching the measured OMC rates, especially for the $2^+$ final states. This calls for further studies in other light nuclei with available OMC data.

Pion absorption from the lowest atomic orbital in H2, H3 , and He3

The ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+^{2}\mathrm{H}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}n+n, {\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+^{3}\mathrm{H}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}n+n+n, {\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+^{3}\mathrm{He}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}n+d$, and ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+^{3}\mathrm{He}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}p+n+n$ capture reactions from the lowest $1S$ atomic orbitals are studied under full inclusion of final state interactions. Our results are obtained with the single-nucleon and two-nucleon transition operators derived at leading order in chiral effective field theory. The initial and final three-nucleon states are calculated with the chiral nucleon-nucleon semilocal momentum space potential up to ${\mathrm{N}}^{4}{\mathrm{LO}}^{+}$, augmented by the consistently regularized chiral ${\mathrm{N}}^{2}\mathrm{LO}$ three-nucleon potential. We found that absorption rates depend strongly on the nuclear pion absorption operator used, and its two-body parts change the rates by a few orders of magnitude. The final state interactions between nucleons generated by the two-nucleon forces are also important, while the three-nucleon interaction plays a visible role only in the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+^{3}\mathrm{He}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}n+d$ reaction. Our absorption rate for the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+^{2}\mathrm{H}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}n+n$ process is in good agreement with the experimental data from the hadronic ground-state broadening in pionic deuterium. The capture rates on $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ are also generally consistent with the spectroscopic data within error bars, though our central values are found to be systematically below the data. We show that for the three-body breakup processes the dominant contributions to the absorption rates arise from the quasi-free scattering and final-state interaction kinematical configurations.

A consistent description of the relativistic effects and three-body interactions in atomic nuclei

A microscopic relativistic Hamiltonian containing consistent relativistic and 3N potentials is, for the first time, constructed based on the leading-order covariant pionless effective field theory, and this Hamiltonian is solved by developing a new accurate relativistic ab initio method with a novel symmetry-based artificial neural network for A≤4 nuclei. It is found that the relativistic effects overcome the energy collapse problem for 3H and 4He without promoting a repulsive three-nucleon interaction to leading order as in nonrelativistic calculations. To exactly reproduce the experimental ground-state energies, a three-nucleon interaction is needed and its interplay with the relativistic effects plays a crucial role. The presented results open the new avenue for a unified and consistent study on relativistic effects and many-body interactions in atomic nuclei, and would also help to achieve more accurate ab initio calculations for nuclei.

Magnetic structure of few-nucleon systems at high momentum transfers in a chiral effective field theory approach

The five low-energy constants (LECs) in the electromagnetic current derived in chiral effective field theory ($\chi$EFT) up to one loop are determined by a simultaneous fit to the $A\,$=$\,2$--3 nuclei magnetic moments and to the deuteron magnetic form factor and threshold electrodisintegration at backward angles over a wide range of momentum transfers. The resulting parametrization then yields predictions for the $^3$He/$^3$H magnetic form factors in excellent accord with the experimental values for momentum transfers ranging up to $\approx 0.8$ GeV/c, beyond the expected regime of validity of the $\chi$EFT approach. The calculations are based on last-generation two-nucleon interactions including high orders in the chiral expansion and derived by Entem, Macheleidt, and Nosyk [Phys.\ Rev.\ C {\bf 96}, 024004 (2017)] and by Piarulli {\it et al.} [Phys.\ Rev.\ C {\bf 94}, 054007 (2016)], using different $\chi$EFT formulations. In the $A\,$=$\,3$ calculations, (chiral) three-nucleon interactions are also accounted for. The model dependence resulting from these different formulations of the interactions is found to be mild for momentum transfer below $\approx0.8$ GeV/c. An analysis of the convergence of the chiral expansion is also provided.

Damping of the isovector giant dipole resonance in 40,48Ca

The fine structure of the IsoVector Giant Dipole Resonance (IVGDR) in the doubly-magic nuclei 40,48Ca observed in inelastic proton scattering experiments under 0∘ is used to investigate the role of different mechanisms contributing to the IVGDR decay width. Characteristic energy scales are extracted from the fine structure by means of wavelet analysis. The experimental scales are compared to different theoretical approaches allowing for the inclusion of complex configurations beyond the mean-field level. Calculations are performed in the framework of RPA and beyond-RPA in a relativistic approach based on an effective meson-exchange interaction, with the UCOM effective interaction and, for the first time, with realistic two- plus three-nucleon interactions from chiral effective field theory employing the in-medium similarity renormalization group. All models highlight the role of Landau fragmentation for the damping of the IVGDR, while the differences in the coupling strength between one particle-one hole (1p-1h) and two particle-two hole (2p-2h) correlated (relativistic) and non-correlated (non-relativistic) configurations lead to very different pictures of the importance of the spreading width resulting in wavelet scales being a sensitive measure of their interplay. The relativistic approach with particle-vibration coupling, in particular, shows impressive agreement with the number and absolute values of the scales extracted from the experimental data.