The triton lifetime from nuclear lattice effective field theory

Abstract

In this work, we present a calculation of the triton $\beta$-decay lifetime using Nuclear Lattice Effective Field Theory (NLEFT) at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order in the chiral expansion. By incorporating a non-perturbative treatment of the higher-order corrections, we achieve consistent predictions for the Fermi and Gamow-Teller matrix elements, which are crucial for determining the triton lifetime. Our results are consistent with earlier theoretical calculations, confirming the robustness of our approach. This study marks a significant advancement in the systematic application of NLEFT to nuclear $\beta$-decay processes, paving the way for future high-precision calculations in more complex nuclear systems. Additionally, we discuss potential improvements to our approach, including the explicit inclusion of two-pion exchange mechanisms and the refinement of three-nucleon forces. These developments are essential for extending the applicability of NLEFT to a broader range of nuclear phenomena, including neutrinoless double-$\beta$ decay.

9 pages, 4 figures, more details and more discussion, version accepted for publication in Phys. Lett. B

References in corpus (6)

• Three-body forces: From cold atoms to nuclei
• Three-Nucleon Low-Energy Constants from the Consistency of Interactions and Currents in Chiral Effective Field Theory
• Lattice chiral effective field theory with three-body interactions at next-to-next-to-leading order
• Wavefunction matching for solving quantum many-body problems
• Perturbative quantum Monte Carlo method for nuclear physics
• Hidden spin-isospin exchange symmetry

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Lattice Effective Field Theory Simulations of Nuclei
• Investigating nuclear beta decay using lattice quantum Monte Carlo approach