985 research outputs found
Uncertainties in constraining low-energy constants from H decay
We discuss the uncertainties in constraining low-energy constants of chiral
effective field theory from H decay. The half-life is very
precisely known, so that the Gamow-Teller matrix element has been used to fit
the coupling of the axial-vector current to a short-range two-nucleon
pair. Because the same coupling also describes the leading one-pion-exchange
three-nucleon force, this in principle provides a very constraining fit,
uncorrelated with the H binding energy fit used to constrain another
low-energy coupling in three-nucleon forces. However, so far such H
half-life fits have only been performed at a fixed cutoff value. We show that
the cutoff dependence due to the regulators in the axial-vector two-body
current can significantly affect the Gamow-Teller matrix elements and
consequently also the extracted values for the coupling constant. The
degree of the cutoff dependence is correlated with the softness of the employed
NN interaction. As a result, present three-nucleon forces based on a fit to
H decay underestimate the uncertainty in . We explore a range
of values that is compatible within cutoff variation with the
experimental H half-life and estimate the resulting uncertainties for
many-body systems by performing calculations of symmetric nuclear matter.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, published version, includes Erratum, which
corrects Figs. 2-6 due to the incorrect c_D relation between 3N forces and
two-body currents use
Stop, Look, and Remember (an impromptu)
In our every day life we miss seeing many things that would prove of interest to us. An example of how little we are aware of what happens about us until we find things brought into sharper focus is the sudden discovery that a new house or building exists where only an empty lot full of weeds and trash had been
Is a Trineutron Resonance Lower in Energy than a Tetraneutron Resonance?
We present quantum Monte Carlo calculations of few-neutron systems confined
in external potentials based on local chiral interactions at
next-to-next-to-leading order in chiral effective field theory. The energy and
radial densities for these systems are calculated in different external
Woods-Saxon potentials. We assume that their extrapolation to zero
external-potential depth provides a quantitative estimate of three- and
four-neutron resonances. The validity of this assumption is demonstrated by
benchmarking with an exact diagonalization in the two-body case. We find that
the extrapolated trineutron resonance, as well as the energy for shallow well
depths, is lower than the tetraneutron resonance energy. This suggests that a
three-neutron resonance exists below a four-neutron resonance in nature and is
potentially measurable. To confirm that the relative ordering of three- and
four-neutron resonances is not an artifact of the external confinement, we test
that the odd-even staggering in the helium isotopic chain is reproduced within
this approach. Finally, we discuss similarities between our results and
ultracold Fermi gases.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, version compatible with published lette
Signatures of few-body resonances in finite volume
We study systems of bosons and fermions in finite periodic boxes and show how
the existence and properties of few-body resonances can be extracted from
studying the volume dependence of the calculated energy spectra. Using a
plane-wave-based discrete variable representation to conveniently implement
periodic boundary conditions, we establish that avoided level crossings occur
in the spectra of up to four particles and can be linked to the existence of
multi-body resonances. To benchmark our method we use two-body calculations,
where resonance properties can be determined with other methods, as well as a
three-boson model interaction known to generate a three-boson resonance state.
Finding good agreement for these cases, we then predict three-body and
four-body resonances for models using a shifted Gaussian potential. Our results
establish few-body finite-volume calculations as a new tool to study few-body
resonances. In particular, the approach can be used to study few-neutron
systems, where such states have been conjectured to exist.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables, published versio
Signatures of Dark Matter Scattering Inelastically Off Nuclei
Direct dark matter detection focuses on elastic scattering of dark matter
particles off nuclei. In this study, we explore inelastic scattering where the
nucleus is excited to a low-lying state of 10-100 keV, with subsequent prompt
de-excitation. We calculate the inelastic structure factors for the odd-mass
xenon isotopes based on state-of-the-art large-scale shell-model calculations
with chiral effective field theory WIMP-nucleon currents. For these cases, we
find that the inelastic channel is comparable to or can dominate the elastic
channel for momentum transfers around 150 MeV. We calculate the inelastic
recoil spectra in the standard halo model, compare these to the elastic case,
and discuss the expected signatures in a xenon detector, along with
implications for existing and future experiments. The combined information from
elastic and inelastic scattering will allow to determine the dominant
interaction channel within one experiment. In addition, the two channels probe
different regions of the dark matter velocity distribution and can provide
insight into the dark halo structure. The allowed recoil energy domain and the
recoil energy at which the integrated inelastic rates start to dominate the
elastic channel depend on the mass of the dark matter particle, thus providing
a potential handle to constrain its mass.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures. Matches resubmitted version to Phys. Rev. D. One
figure added; supplemental material (fits to the structure functions) added
as an Appendi
Dark-matter-nucleus scattering in chiral effective field theory
Chiral effective field theory allows one to calculate the response of few-nucleon systems to external currents, both for currents that can be probed in the Standard Model and ones that only exist in Standard-Model extensions. In combination with state-of-the-art many-body methods, the constraints from chiral symmetry can then be implemented in nuclear structure factors that describe the response of atomic nuclei in direct-detection searches for dark matter. We review the present status of this approach, including the role of coherently enhanced two-body currents, the discrimination of dark matter candidates based on the nuclear response functions, and limits on Higgs-portal dark matter
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