arXiv subjects

Attila Csoto

Publications and source records attributed to Attila Csoto.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2000

Few-body resonances in light nuclei

We have localized several few-body resonances in light nuclei, using methods which can properly handle two- or three-body resonant states. Among other results, we predict the existence of a three-neutron resonance, small spin-orbit splittings between the low-lying states in He-5 and Li-5, the nonexistence of the soft dipole resonance in He-6, new 1+ states in Li-8 and B-8, and the presence of a nonlinear amplification phenomenon in the 0+_2 state of C-12.

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arXiv2000

At the edge of nuclear stability: nonlinear quantum amplifiers

We show that nuclear states lying at the edge of stability may show enormously enhanced response to small perturbations. For example, a 0.1% change in the strength of the strong nucleon-nucleon interaction can cause almost a hundred times bigger change in the resonance energy of the 0+_2 state of 12C.

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arXiv2000

At the edge of nuclear stability: nonlinear quantum amplifiers

We show that nuclei lying at the edge of stability can behave as nonlinear quantum amplifiers. A tiny change in the nucleon-nucleon interaction can trigger a much bigger change in the binding energy of these systems, relative to the few-cluster breakup threshold.

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arXiv2000

Microscopic calculations for solar nuclear reactions

We have studied the 4He(3He,gamma)7Be, 3He(3He,2p)4He, and 7Be(p,gamma)8B reactions of the solar p-p chain, using microscopic cluster models. Among other results, we showed that the 6Li+p channel has a nontrivial effect on the 7Be-producing reaction, that the existence of a resonance in 6Be close to the 3He+3He threshold is rather unlikely, and that the correlations between some properties of 7Be/8B and the low-energy cross section of 7Be(p,gamma)8B might help one to constrain the value of the S_17(0) astrophysical S-factor.

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arXiv2000

Fine-tuning the basic forces of nature through the triple-alpha process in red giant stars

We show that the synthesis of carbon and oxygen through the triple-alpha process in red giant stars is extremely sensitive to the fine details of the nucleon-nucleon (N-N) interaction. A +/-0.5% change in the strength of the N-N force would reduce either the carbon or oxygen abundance by as much as a factor of 30-1000. This result may be used to constrain some fundamental parameters of the Standard Model.

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arXiv2000

Bridging the mass gaps at A=5 and A=8 in nucleosynthesis

In nucleosynthesis three possible paths are known to bridge the mass gaps at A=5 and A=8. The primary path producing the bulk of the carbon in our Universe proceeds via the triple-alpha process He4(2alpha,gamma)C12. This process takes place in helium-burning of red giant stars. We show that outside a narrow window of about 0.5% of the strength or range of the strong force, the stellar production of carbon or oxygen through the triple-alpha process is reduced by factors of 30 to 1000. Outside this small window the creation of carbon or oxygen and therefore also carbon-based life in the universe is strongly disfavored. The anthropically allowed strengths of the strong force also give severe constraints for the sum of the light quark masses as well as the Higgs vacuum expectation value and mass parameter at the 1% level.

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arXiv2000

Stellar production rates of carbon and its abundance in the universe

The bulk of the carbon in our universe is produced in the triple-alpha process in helium-burning red giant stars. We calculated the change of the triple-alpha reaction rate in a microscopic 12-nucleon model of the C-12 nucleus and looked for the effects of minimal variations of the strengths of the underlying interactions. Stellar model calculations were performed with the alternative reaction rates. Here, we show that outside a narrow window of 0.5 and 4% of the values of the strong and Coulomb forces, respectively, the stellar production of carbon or oxygen is reduced by factors of 30 to 1000.

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arXiv2000

Study of the He3(He4,gamma)Be7 and H3(He4,gamma)Li7 reactions in an extended two-cluster model

The He3(He4,gamma)Be7 and H3(He4,gamma)Li7 reactions are studied in an extended two-cluster model which contains alpha+h/t and Li6+p/n clusterizations. We show that the inclusion of the Li6+p/n channels can significantly change the zero-energy reaction cross sections, S(0), and other properties of the Be7 and Li7 nuclei, like the quadrupole moments Q. However, the results agree with the known correlation trend between S(0) and Q. Moreover, we demonstrate that the value of the zero-energy derivatives of the astrophysical S-factors are more uncertain than currently believed.

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arXiv1999

Low-lying continuum structures in B8 and Li8 in a microscopic model

We search for low-lying resonances in the B8 and Li8 nuclei using a microscopic cluster model and a variational scattering method, which is analytically continued to complex energies. After fine-tuning the nucleon-nucleon interaction to get the known 1+ state of B8 at the right energy, we reproduce the known spectra of the studied nuclei. In addition, our model predicts a 1+ state at 1.3 MeV in B8, relative to the Be7+p threshold, whose corresponding pair is situated right at the Li7+n threshold in Li8. Lacking any experimental evidence for the existence of such states, it is presently uncertain whether these structures really exist or they are spurious resonances in our model. We demonstrate that the predicted state in B8, if it exists, would have important consequences for the understanding of the astrophysically important Be7(p,gamma)B8 reaction.

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arXiv1999

Role of spectroscopic factors in the potential-model description of the Be7(p,gamma)B8 reaction

In standard potential-model descriptions of the Be7(p,gamma)B8 reaction the Be7+p spectroscopic factors S appear in the cross section. We argue that the microscopic substructure effects which are represented by S are short-ranged and cannot affect the asymptotic normalization of the wave function. We believe that the standard way of describing reactions in a potential model may be incorrect and the low-energy cross section should not depend on S in the case of external capture reactions, like Be7(p,gamma)B8

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arXiv1999

The triple-alpha process and its anthropic significance

Through the triple-alpha process practically all of the carbon in our universe is synthesized as the ash of helium burning in red giants. The triple-alpha process proceeds trough the ground state of 8Be and though the 02+-state in 12C. We investigate the dependence of 02+-state and the production of carbon as a function of the strength of the underlying nucleon-nucleon interaction. This is performed by using the complex scaling method in a microscopic cluster model.

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arXiv1999

Fine-tuning carbon-based life in the universe by the triple-alpha process in red giants

Through the triple-alpha process occurring in red giant stars the bulk of the carbon existing in our universe is produced. We calculated the change of the triple-alpha reaction rate for slight variations of the nucleon-nucleon force using a microscopic 12-body model. Stellar model calculations for a low-mass, intermediate-mass and massive star using the different triple-alpha reaction rates obtained with different strengths of the N-N interaction have been performed. Even with a change of 0.4% in the strength of N-N force, carbon-based life appears to be impossible, since all the stars then would produce either almost solely carbon or oxygen, but could not produce both elements.

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arXiv1998

Large-space cluster model calculations for the He3(He3,2p)He4 and H3(H3,2n)He4 reactions

The He3(He3,2p)He4 and H3(H3,2n)He4 reactions are studied in a microscopic cluster model. We search for resonances in the He3+He3 and He4+p+p channels using methods that treat the two- and three-body resonance asymptotics correctly. Our results show that the existence of a low-energy resonance or virtual state, which could influence the Be-7 and B-8 solar neutrino fluxes, is rather unlikely. Our calculated He3(He3,2p)He4 and H3(H3,2n)He4 cross sections are in a good general agreement with the experimental data.

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arXiv1998

Search for excited states in H-3 and He-3

The d+N systems are studied in a three-body model, using phenomenological N-N interactions. The scattering matrices are calculated by using the Kohn-Hulthen variational method. Then, they are analytically continued to complex energies and their singularities are localized. We find a virtual state at E=-1.66 MeV in H-3 and a pair of states at E=(-0.42+-i0.52) MeV in He-3 relative to the d+N thresholds, respectively. In addition, we discuss some general aspects and problems of virtual states which may be useful also in the study of other systems, like Li-10.

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arXiv1998

On the three-body continuum spectrum of He-6

In recent publications Cobis, Fedorov, and Jensen claim the existence of several previously unknown low-lying narrow resonances in He-6. I show that the distribution of the S-matrix poles corresponding to these states is unphysical. This casts doubt on the results of those works concerning resonances.

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arXiv1998

Effects of B-8 size on the low-energy Be7(p,gamma)B8 cross section

We calculate several "size-like" B-8 observables within the microscopic three-cluster model and study their potential constraints on the zero-energy astrophysical S_{17}(0) factor of the Be7(p,gamma)B8 reaction. We find within our three-cluster model that a simultaneous reproduction of the experimental data for the B-8 radius and quadrupole moment and of the B8-Li8 Coulomb displacement energy implies S_{17}(0)=(23-25) eVb.

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arXiv1997

Nuclear physics input for solar models

We discuss microscopic cluster model descriptions of two solar nuclear reactions, Be7(p,gamma)B8 and He3(He3,2p)He4. The low-energy reaction cross section of Be7(p,gamma)B8, which determines the high-energy solar neutrino flux, is constrained by Be7 and B8 observables. Our results show that a small value of the zero-energy cross section is rather unlikely. In He3(He3,2p)He4 we study the effects of a possible virtual state on the cross section. Although, we have found no indication for such a state so far, its existence cannot be ruled out yet. We calculate the He3(He3,2p)He4 and H3(H3,2n)He4 cross sections in a continuum-discretized coupled channel approximation, and find a good general agreement with the data.

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arXiv1997

S-matrix studies of resonances in A=3,4,5,6, and 12 nucleon systems

Resonances of certain light nuclei are explored by studying the complex pole structures of the scattering matrices. Among other results we predict the existence of three-neutron and three-proton resonances, a small spin-orbit splitting in the low-lying He-5 and Li-5 states and the nonexistence of the soft dipole resonance in He-6.

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