Medium polarization isotopic effects on nuclear binding energies

There exist several effective interactions whose parameters are fitted to force mean field predictions to reproduce experimental findings of finite nuclei and calculated properties of infinite nuclear matter. Exploiting this tecnique one can give a good description of nuclear binding energies. We present evidence that further progress can be made by taking into account medium polarization effects associated with surface and pairing vibrations.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Neutrino Capture Cross Sections for Ar-40 and beta-decay of Ti-40

Shell-model calculations of solar neutrino absorption cross sections for $^{40}$Ar, the proposed component of the ICARUS detector, are presented. It is found that low-lying Gamow-Teller transitions lead to a significant enhancement of the absorption rate over that expected from the Fermi transition between the isobaric analog states, leading to an overall absorption rate of 6.7 SNU. We also note that the pertinent Gamow-Teller transitions in ^{\sss 40}Ar are experimentally accessible from the $\beta$-decay of the mirror nucleus ^{\sss 40}Ti. Predictions for the branching ratios to states in ^{\sss 40}Sc are presented, and the theoretical halflife of 53~ms is found to be in good agreement with the experimental value of $56^{+18}_{-12}$~ms.Comment: 12 pages including references and table. NTGMI-94-

Rho meson properties in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model

Some properties of the rho vector meson are calculated within the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model, including processes that go beyond the random phase approximation. To classify the higher order contributions, we adopt $1/N_c$ as expansion parameter. In particular, we evaluate the leading order contributions to the $\rho \rightarrow \pi \pi$ decay width, obtaining the value $\Gamma = 118$ MeV, and to the shift of the rho mass which turns out to be lowered by 64 MeV with respect to its RPA value. A set of model parameters is determined accordingly.Comment: 21 pages Latex, 4 figures, to be published in Z. Phys.

Quantum calculation of vortices in the inner crust of neutron stars

We study, within a quantum mechanical framework based on self-consistent mean field theory, the interaction between a vortex and a nucleus immersed in a sea of free neutrons, a scenario representative of the inner crust of neutron stars. Quantal finite size effects force the vortex core outside the nucleus, influencing vortex pinning in an important way

Particle transfer reactions with the time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory using a particle number projection technique

A particle-number projection technique is used to calculate transfer probabilities in the $^{16}$O+$^{208}$Pb reaction below the fusion barrier. The time evolution of the many-body wave function is obtained with the time-dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF) mean-field theory. The agreement with experimental data for the sum of the proton-transfer channels is good, considering that TDHF has no parameter adjusted on reaction mechanism. Some perspectives for extensions beyond TDHF to include cluster-transfers are discussed.Comment: Ref. 30 update

Challenges in the description of the atomic nucleus: Unification and interdisciplinarity

Nuclear physics, in general, and theoretical nuclear physics, in particular, have provided the physics community at large, among other things, with the paradigm of spontaneous symmetry breaking phenomena in finite many-body systems. The study of the associated mechanisms of symmetry restoration has shed light on the microscopic structure of the corresponding condensates, in particular on the superfluid phase, allowing to study Cooper pair tunnelling into superfluid nuclei (related to the Josephson effect), in terms of individual quantum states and reaching, in doing so, a new milestone: that of unifying structure and reactions, these last processes being found at the basis of the formulation of quantum mechanics (probability interpretation, Born). In the process, nuclear physicists have extended the validity of BCS theory of superconductivity to the single Cooper pair situation, let alone discovering unexpected mechanism to break gauge invariance. The insight obtained from pair transfer research is likely to have important consequences in the study of double charge exchange processes, and thus in the determination of the nuclear matrix element associated with neutrinoless double beta decay, eventually providing an important test of the Standard Model. Time, thus, seems ripe for nuclear theorists to take centre stage, backed by a wealth of experimental information and by their interdisciplinary capacity to connect basic physical concepts across the borders. With the help of these elements they can aim at fully revealing the many facets of their femtometer many-body system, from vacuum zero point fluctuations to new exotic modes of nuclear excitations and of their interweaving, resulting in powerful effective field theories. Unless. Unless they are not able to free themselves from words like ab initio or fundamental, and to adapt a relax attitude concerning Skyrme, tensor, etc., forces, as well as regarding the quest for “the” Hamiltonian