457 research outputs found
Discrepancy between experimental and theoretical -decay rates resolved from first principles
-decay, a process that changes a neutron into a proton (and vice
versa), is the dominant decay mode of atomic nuclei. This decay offers a unique
window to physics beyond the standard model, and is at the heart of
microphysical processes in stellar explosions and the synthesis of the elements
in the Universe. For 50 years, a central puzzle has been that observed
-decay rates are systematically smaller than theoretical predictions.
This was attributed to an apparent quenching of the fundamental coupling
constant 1.27 in the nucleus by a factor of about 0.75 compared
to the -decay of a free neutron. The origin of this quenching is
controversial and has so far eluded a first-principles theoretical
understanding. Here we address this puzzle and show that this quenching arises
to a large extent from the coupling of the weak force to two nucleons as well
as from strong correlations in the nucleus. We present state-of-the-art
computations of -decays from light to heavy nuclei. Our results are
consistent with experimental data, including the pioneering measurement for
Sn. These theoretical advances are enabled by systematic effective
field theories of the strong and weak interactions combined with powerful
quantum many-body techniques. This work paves the way for systematic
theoretical predictions for fundamental physics problems. These include the
synthesis of heavy elements in neutron star mergers and the search for
neutrino-less double--decay, where an analogous quenching puzzle is a
major source of uncertainty in extracting the neutrino mass scale.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figure
A mixed-mode shell-model theory for nuclear structure studies
We introduce a shell-model theory that combines traditional spherical states,
which yield a diagonal representation of the usual single-particle interaction,
with collective configurations that track deformations, and test the validity
of this mixed-mode, oblique basis shell-model scheme on Mg. The correct
binding energy (within 2% of the full-space result) as well as low-energy
configurations that have greater than 90% overlap with full-space results are
obtained in a space that spans less than 10% of the full space. The results
suggest that a mixed-mode shell-model theory may be useful in situations where
competing degrees of freedom dominate the dynamics and full-space calculations
are not feasible.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures, revtex 12p
Where AD plants wildly grow: the spatio-temporal diffusion of agricultural biogas production in the Czech Republic
There is fundamental agreement about the environmental benefits of renewable energy technologies, but unintended consequences arising from their deployment are frequent sources of conflicts. The Czech Republic has committed itself to supply 13.5% of its electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2020. High state incentives for renewable energies have been provided to achieve this target, however critical questions can be asked about the appropriateness of the design of the supporting frameworks which caused a boom in photo-voltaic (PV) installations on agricultural land, as well as a boom in the installation of agricultural anaerobic digestion (AD) plants fuelled by dedicated energy crops. This paper analyses the diffusion of agricultural AD plants in the Czech Republic, focusing especially on locational characteristics in relation to the quality of agricultural land, agricultural and population census data. Statistical analysis of those spatial datasets show that agricultural AD plants are mostly located in less favourable agricultural areas, in regions having recently experienced a reduction in cattle breeding, and in regions with significant increases of sowing areas of green maize. These findings suggests shortcomings in the supporting policy for AD plants in the Czech Republic, resulting in unintended environmental consequences, and missed opportunities to enhance energy self-sufficiency and resilience in the countryside
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EVALUATION OF REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR PLUTONIUM CONTAMINATED SOIL
Soils contaminated with radionuclides are an environmental concern at most Department of Energy (DOE) sites. Clean up efforts at many of these sites are ongoing using conventional remediation techniques. These remediation techniques are often expensive and may not achieve desired soil volume reduction. Several studies using alternative remediation techniques have been performed on plutonium-contaminated soils from the Nevada Test Site. Results to date exhibit less than encouraging results, but these processes were often not fully optimized, and other approaches are possible. Clemson University and teaming partner Waste Policy Institute, through a cooperative agreement with the National Environmental Technologies Laboratory, are assisting the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in re-evaluating technologies that have the potential of reducing the volume of plutonium contaminated soil. This efforts includes (1) a through literature review and summary of (a) NTS soil characterization and (b) volume reduction treatment technologies applied to plutonium-contaminated NTS soils, (2) an interactive workshop for vendors, representatives from DOE sites and end-users, and (3) bench scale demonstration of applicable vendor technologies at the Clemson Environmental Technologies Laboratory
Ground state correlations and mean-field in O: Part II
We continue the investigations of the O ground state using the
coupled-cluster expansion [] method with realistic nuclear
interaction. In this stage of the project, we take into account the three
nucleon interaction, and examine in some detail the definition of the internal
Hamiltonian, thus trying to correct for the center-of-mass motion. We show that
this may result in a better separation of the internal and center-of-mass
degrees of freedom in the many-body nuclear wave function. The resulting ground
state wave function is used to calculate the "theoretical" charge form factor
and charge density. Using the "theoretical" charge density, we generate the
charge form factor in the DWBA picture, which is then compared with the
available experimental data. The longitudinal response function in inclusive
electron scattering for O is also computed.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
Microscopic calculation of the inclusive electron scattering structure function in O-16
We calculate the charge form factor and the longitudinal structure function
for O and compare with the available experimental data, up to a momentum
transfer of 4 fm. The ground state correlations are generated using the
coupled cluster [exp(S}] method, together with the realistic v-18 NN
interaction and the Urbana IX three-nucleon interaction. Center-of-mass
corrections are dealt with by adding a center-of-mass Hamiltonian to the usual
internal Hamiltonian, and by means of a many-body expansion for the computation
of the observables measured in the center-of-mass system
Axially symmetric Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov Calculations for Nuclei Near the Drip-Lines
Nuclei far from stability are studied by solving the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov
(HFB) equations, which describe the self-consistent mean field theory with
pairing interaction. Calculations for even-even nuclei are carried out on
two-dimensional axially symmetric lattice, in coordinate space. The
quasiparticle continuum wavefunctions are considered for energies up to 60 MeV.
Nuclei near the drip lines have a strong coupling between weakly bound states
and the particle continuum. This method gives a proper description of the
ground state properties of such nuclei. High accuracy is achieved by
representing the operators and wavefunctions using the technique of
basis-splines. The detailed representation of the HFB equations in cylindrical
coordinates is discussed. Calculations of observables for nuclei near the
neutron drip line are presented to demonstrate the reliability of the method.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to Physical Review C on 05/08/02.
Revised on Dec/0
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