Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

A. Mariano

Publications and source records attributed to A. Mariano.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Decoherence, fluctuations and Wigner function in neutron optics

We analyze the coherence properties of neutron wave packets, after they have interacted with a phase shifter undergoing different kinds of statistical fluctuations. We give a quantitative (and operational) definition of decoherence and compare it to the standard deviation of the distribution of the phase shifts. We find that in some cases the neutron ensemble is more coherent, even though it has interacted with a wider (i.e. more disordered) distribution of shifts. This feature is independent of the particular definition of decoherence: this is shown by proposing and discussing an alternative definition, based on the Wigner function, that displays a similar behavior. We briefly discuss the notion of entropy of the shifts and find that, in general, it does not correspond to that of decoherence of the neutron.

quant-ph↗

RPA puzzle in C(12) weak decay processes

We explain the origin of the difficulties that appear in a straightforward application of the QRPA in C(12), and we demonstrate that it is imperative to use the projected QRPA (PQRPA). Satisfactory results, not only for the weak processes among the ground states of the triad B(12),C(12),N(12), but also for the inclusive ones are obtained. We sketch as well a new formalism for the neutrino-nucleus interaction that furnishes very simple final formulae for the muon capture rate and neutrino induced cross sections.

nucl-th↗

Determination of the Delta++ magnetic dipole moment

We study the elastic and radiative pi+ p scattering within a full dynamical model which incorporates the finite width effects of the Delta++. The scattering amplitudes are invariant under contact transformations of the spin 3/2 field and gauge-invariance is fulfilled for the radiative case. The pole parameters of the Delta++ obtained from the elastic cross section are m_Delta = 1211.2 \pm 0.4 MeV and Gamma_Delta = 88.2 \pm 0.4 MeV. From a fit to the most sensitive observables in radiative pi+ p scattering, we obtain mu_Delta = 6.14 \pm 0.51 e/2m_p for the magnetic dipole moment of the Delta++.

nucl-th↗

Decoherence and fluctuations in quantum interference experiments

We analyze the notion of quantum coherence in an interference experiment. We let the phase shifts fluctuate according to a given statistical distribution and introduce a decoherence parameter, defined in terms of a generalized visibility of the interference pattern. One might naively expect that a particle ensemble suffers a greater loss of quantum coherence by interacting with an increasingly randomized distribution of shifts. As we shall see, this is not always true.

quant-ph↗

Elastic and radiative pi^+p scattering and properties of the Delta^{++} resonance

We study the Delta^{++} contributions to elastic and radiative π^+p scattering within an effective Lagrangian model which incorporates the Delta, N, rho and sigma meson degrees of freedom. This model provides a description of the Delta resonance and its interactions that respects electromagnetic gauge invariance and invariance under contact transformations when finite width effects are incorporated. Following recent developments in the description of unstable gauge bosons, we use a complex mass scheme to introduce the finite width of the Delta^{++} without spoiling gauge invariance. The total cross section of elastic π^+p scattering, whose amplitude exhibits the resonant plus background structure of S-matrix theory, is used to fix the mass, width and strong coupling of the Δresonance. The differential cross section of elastic scattering is found in very good agreement with experimental data. The magnetic dipole moment of the Delta^{++}, μ_{Delta}, is left as the only adjustable parameter in radiative π^+p scattering. From a fit to the most sensitive configurations for photon emission in this process, we obtain μ_Δ = (6.14 +-0.51)e/2m_p, in agreement with predictions based on the SU(6) quark model.

nucl-th↗

Mesoscopic interference

We analyze a double-slit experiment when the interfering particle is "mesoscopic" and one endeavors to obtain Welcher Weg information by shining light on it. We derive a compact expression for the visibility of the interference pattern: coherence depends on both the spatial and temporal features of the wave function during its travel to the screen. We set a bound on the temperature of the mesoscopic particle in order that its quantum mechanical coherence be maintained.

quant-ph↗

Decoherence vs entropy in neutron interferometry

We analyze the coherence properties of polarized neutrons, after they have interacted with a magnetic field or a phase shifter undergoing different kinds of statistical fluctuations. We endeavor to probe the degree of disorder of the distribution of the phase shifts by means of the loss of quantum mechanical coherence of the neutron. We find that the notion of entropy of the shifts and that of decoherence of the neutron do not necessarily agree. In some cases the neutron wave function is more coherent, even though it has interacted with a more disordered medium.

quant-ph↗

Pion - Nucleon Bremsstrahlung beyond the Soft-Photon approximation

A dynamical model based on effective Lagrangians is proposed to describe the bremsstrahlung reaction $ πN \to πN γ$ at low energies. The $Δ(1232)$ degrees of freedom are incorporated in a way consistent with both, electromagnetic gauge invariance and invariance under contact transformations. The model also includes the initial and final state rescattering of hadrons via a T-matrix with off the momentum-shell effects. The double differential distribution of photons is computed for three different T-matrix models and the results are compared with the soft photon approximation, and with experimental data. The aim of this analysis is to test the off-shell behaviour of the different T-matrices under consideration. Finally an alternative simpler dynamical model that incorporates the unstable character of the isobar-$Δ(1232)$ through a complex mass, is presented. As we will see it is suitable for the study of the magnetic moment of the resonance.

nucl-th↗

Dynamical model for Pion - Nucleon Bremsstrahlung

A dynamical model based on effective Lagrangians is proposed to describe the bremsstrahlung reaction $ πN \to πN γ$ at low energies. The $Δ(1232)$ degrees of freedom are incorporated in a way consistent with both, electromagnetic gauge invariance and invariance under contact transformations. The model also includes the initial and final state rescattering of hadrons via a T-matrix with off-shell effects. The $πN γ$ differential cross sections are calculated using three different T-matrix models and the results are compared with the soft photon approximation, and with experimental data. The aim of this analysis is to test the off-shell behavior of the different T-matrices under consideration.

nucl-th↗

Wigner function and coherence properties of cold and thermal neutrons

We analyze the coherence properties of a cold or a thermal neutron by utilizing the Wigner quasidistribution function. We look in particular at a recent experiment performed by Badurek {\em et al.}, in which a polarized neutron crosses a magnetic field that is orthogonal to its spin, producing highly non-classical states. The quantal coherence is extremely sensitive to the field fluctuation at high neutron momenta. A "decoherence parameter" is introduced in order to get quantitative estimates of the losses of coherence.

quant-ph↗

Nuclear moments for the neutrinoless double beta decay II

The recently developed formalism for the evaluation of nuclear form factors in neutrinoless double beta decay is applied to $^{48}Ca$, $^{76}Ge$, $^{82}Se$, $^{100}Mo$, $^{128}Te$ and $^{130}Te$ nuclei. Explicit analytical expressions that follows from this theoretical development, in the single mode model for the decay of $^{48}Ca$, have been worked out. They are useful both for testing the full numerical calculations, and for analytically checking the consistency with other formalisms. Large configuration space calculations are compared with previous studies, where alternative formulations were used. Yet, besides using the G-matrix as residual interaction, we here use a simple $δ$-force. Attention is paid to the connected effects of the short range nuclear correlations and the finite nucleon size. Constraints on lepton number violating terms in the weak Hamiltonian (effective neutrino Majorana mass and effective right-handed current coupling strengths) are deduced.

nucl-th↗

Weak Magnetism in Two Neutrino Double Beta Decay

We have extended the formalism for the two-neutrino double beta decay by including the weak-magnetism term, as well as other second-forbidden corrections. The weak magnetism diminishes the calculated half-lives in $\sim 10%$, independently of the nuclear structure. Numerical computations were performed within the pn-QRPA, for $^{76}Ge$, $^{82}Se$, $^{100} Mo$, $^{128}Te$ and $^{130}Te$ nuclei. No one of the second-forbidden corrections modifies significantly the spectrum shapes. The total reduction in the calculated half lives varies from 6% up to 32%, and strongly depend on the nuclear interaction in the particle-particle $S=1,T=0$ channel. We conclude that the higher order effects in the weak Hamiltonian would hardly be observed in the two-neutrino double beta experiments.

nucl-th↗

Competition between standard and exotic double beta decays

We discuss the contributions of higher order terms in weak Hamiltonian to the standard two-neutrino double beta decay. The formalism for the unique first forbidden transitions has been developed, and it is shown that they can alter the two-electron energy spectrum. Yet, their effect is too small to screen the detection of exotic neutrinoless double beta decays, which are candidates for testing the physics beyond the standard model.

nucl-th↗

Non-collapsing quasiparticle random phase approximation for nuclear double-beta decay

We show how the longstanding problem of the collapse of the charge-exchange QRPA near the physical value of the force strength can be circumvented. This is done by including the effect of ground state correlations into the QRPA equations of motion. The corresponding formalism, called renormalized QRPA, is briefly outlined and its consequences are discussed in the framework of a schematic model for the two-neutrino double beta decay in the $^{100}Mo \rightarrow\, ^{100}Ru$ system. The question of the conservation of the Ikeda sum rule is also addressed within the new formalism.

nucl-th↗

Violation of the Ikeda sum rule and the self-consistency in the renormalized quasiparticle random phase approximation and the nuclear double-beta decay

The effect of the inclusion of ground state correlations into the QRPA equation of motion for the two-neutrino double beta ($ββ_{2ν}$) decay is carefully analyzed. The resulting model, called renormalized QRPA (RQRPA), does not collapse near the physical value of the nuclear force strength in the particle-particle channel, as happens with the ordinary QRPA. Still, the $ββ_{2ν}$ transition amplitude is only slightly less sensitive on this parameter in the RQRPA than that in the plain QRPA. It is argued that this fact reveals once more that the characteristic behaviour of the $ββ_{2ν}$ transition amplitude within the QRPA is not an artifact of the model, but a consequence of the partial restoration of the spin-isospin $SU(4)$ symmetry. It is shown that the price paid for bypassing the collapse in the RQRPA is the violation of the Ikeda sum rule.

nucl-th↗

Momentum Distribution in Nuclear matter within a Perturbation Approximation

It is shown that the norm corrections, introduced to avoid the violation of the constraints on the depletion of the hole states in the standard perturbative 2p2h approach, leads in nuclear matter to a dependence of the momentum distribution with the total nucleon number. This unphysical behavior, which in turn makes the depletion to be non-extensive, arises from contributions of disconnected diagrams contained in the norm. It is found that the extensivity is again recovered when the 4p4h excitations in the ground state are included, and a reasonable value for the total number of nucleons promoted above the Fermi level is obtained.

nucl-th↗

Two neutrino double beta decay within the $ξ$-approximation

We examine the contributions of odd-parity nuclear operators to the two-neutrino double beta decay $0^+\rightarrow 0^+$ amplitude, which come from the $P$-wave Coulomb corrections to the electron wave functions and the recoil corrections to the nuclear currents. Although they are formally of higher order in $αZ/2$ or $v/c$ of the nucleon than the usual Fermi and Gamow-Teller matrix elements, explicit calculations performed within the QRPA show that they are significant when confronted with the experimental data.

nucl-th↗

Ground-state Correlation Effects in Extended RPA Calculations

We study normalization problems associated with use of perturbatively correlated ground-states in extended RPA schemes in the context of a specific but typical example. The sensitivity of the results to the amount of $2p2h$ admixtures to the correlated ground state is also investigated in terms of a modification of the standard perturbative approach.

nucl-th↗