Unified description of ${}^6$Li structure and deuterium-${}^4$He dynamics with chiral two- and three-nucleon forces

Abstract

Prototype for the study of weakly bound projectiles colliding on stable targets, the scattering of deuterium ($d$) on ${}^4$He ($\alpha$) is an important milestone in the search for a fundamental understanding of low-energy reactions. At the same time, it is also important for its role in the Big-bang nucleosynthesis of ${}^6$Li and applications in the characterization of deuterium impurities in materials. We present the first unified {\em ab initio} study of the ${}^6$Li ground state and $d$-${}^4$He elastic scattering using two- and three-nucleon forces derived within the framework of chiral effective field theory. The six-nucleon bound-state and scattering observables are calculated by means of the no-core shell model with continuum. %and are compared to available experimental data. We analyze the influence of the dynamic polarization of the deuterium and of the chiral three-nucleon force, and examine the role of the continuum degrees of freedom in shaping the low-lying spectrum of ${}^6$Li. We find that the adopted Hamiltonian correctly predicts the binding energy of ${}^6$Li, yielding an asymptotic $D$- to $S$-state ratio of the ${}^6$Li wave function in $d+\alpha$ configuration of $-0.027$ in agreement with the value determined from a phase shift analysis of ${}^6$Li+${}^4$He elastic scattering, but overestimates the excitation energy of the first $3^{+}$ state by $350$ keV. The bulk of the computed differential cross section is in good agreement with data.

arXiv comment5 pages, 5 figures

References in corpus (26)

• Modern Theory of Nuclear Forces
• Chiral effective field theory and nuclear forces
• Accurate Charge-Dependent Nucleon-Nucleon Potential at Fourth Order of Chiral Perturbation Theory
• Realistic models of pion-exchange three-nucleon interactions
• Properties of ${}^{12}$C in the {\it ab initio} nuclear shell-model
• Similarity Renormalization Group for Nucleon-Nucleon Interactions
• Local three-nucleon interaction from chiral effective field theory
• Ab initio shell model with a genuine three-nucleon force for the p-shell nuclei
• Three-Nucleon Low-Energy Constants from the Consistency of Interactions and Currents in Chiral Effective Field Theory
• Similarity-Transformed Chiral NN+3N Interactions for the Ab Initio Description of 12-C and 16-O
• Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of excited states in A = 6--8 nuclei
• Evolution of Nuclear Many-Body Forces with the Similarity Renormalization Group
• Unified ab initio approach to bound and unbound states: no-core shell model with continuum and its application to 7He
• Ab initio description of the exotic unbound 7He nucleus
• Evolving Nuclear Many-Body Forces with the Similarity Renormalization Group
• Evolved Chiral NN+3N Hamiltonians for Ab Initio Nuclear Structure Calculations
• Ab initio many-body calculations of deuteron-4He scattering and 6Li states
• Six-body calculation of the alpha-deuteron radiative capture cross section
• High-energy break-up of 6Li as a tool to study the Big-Bang nucleosynthesis reaction 2H(alpha,gamma)6Li
• Nuclear Reaction Rates and Primordial ${}^6$Li
• Ab initio many-body calculations of nucleon-4He scattering with three-nucleon forces
• The Unitary Correlation Operator Method from a Similarity Renormalization Group Perspective
• {Once more about astrophysical $S$ factor for the $\alpha +d\to {}^6\mathrm{Li}+\gamma$ reaction
• ${}^4\mathrm{He}$+$n$+$n$ continuum within an ab initio framework
• A Predictive Theory for Elastic Scattering and Recoil of Protons from ${}^4$He
• Continuum and Three-Nucleon Force Effects on 9Be Energy Levels

Cited by in corpus (35)

• Microscopic Clustering in Light Nuclei
• Unified ab initio approaches to nuclear structure and reactions
• Novel chiral Hamiltonian and observables in light and medium-mass nuclei
• Quenching of single-particle strength from direct reactions with stable and rare-isotope beams
• Essential elements for nuclear binding
• Ab initio electromagnetic observables with the in-medium similarity renormalization group
• ${}^3\mathrm{He}(\alpha ,\gamma ){}^7\mathrm{Be}$ and ${}^3\mathrm{H}(\alpha ,\gamma ){}^7\mathrm{Li}$ astrophysical $S$ factors from the no-core shell model with continuum
• Ab initio predictions for polarized DT thermonuclear fusion
• From bound states to the continuum
• Local nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon interactions within chiral effective field theory
• Optical potentials for the rare-isotope beam era
• Ab initio no-core solutions for ${}^6$Li
• Calculation of the ${}^6$Li ground state within the hyperspherical harmonic basis
• How many-body correlations and $\alpha$-clustering shape ${}^6$He
• Quantifying uncertainties in neutron-alpha scattering with chiral nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon forces
• Primordial $\alpha +d\to {}^6\mathrm{Li}+\gamma$ reaction and second Lithium puzzle
• Ab initio prediction of the ${}^4\mathrm{He}(d,\gamma ){}^6\mathrm{Li}$ big bang radiative capture
• Three-cluster dynamics within the ab initio no-core shell model with continuum: How many-body correlations and $\alpha$-clustering shape ${}^6$He
• Challenges in Nuclear Structure Theory
• Gamow shell model description of ${}^4$He($d$,$d$) elastic scattering reactions
• Deuteron-induced nucleon transfer reactions within an ab initio framework: First application to p-shell nuclei
• Low-energy bound states, resonances, and scattering of light ions
• Efficacy of the symmetry-adapted basis for ab initio nucleon-nucleus interactions for light- and intermediate-mass nuclei
• Ground-state properties of doubly magic nuclei from the unitary-model-operator approach with the chiral two- and three-nucleon forces
• Dynamics of two-cluster systems in phase space
• Nuclear Resonances, Scattering and Reactions from First Principles: Progress and Prospects
• An effective two-body model for spectra of clusters of ${}^2$H, ${}^3$H, ${}^3$He, and ${}^4$He with ${}^4$He, and ${}^2$H-${}^4$He scattering
• Towards modeling cluster structure of ${}^8$Be with chiral interaction
• Ab initio calculations of reactions with light nuclei
• Local two- and three-nucleon chiral interactions
• Quantifying uncertainties due to irreducible three-body forces in deuteron-nucleus reactions
• Updated three-body model of ${}^6$He $\beta$ decay into the $\alpha$ + $d$ continuum
• Theoretical calculation of nuclear reactions of interest for Big Bang Nucleosynthesis
• Light antiproton-nucleus systems at low energies with the ab initio NCSM/RGM method
• ${}^7$Li($d$,$p$)${}^8$Li transfer reaction in the NCSM/RGM approach