arXiv subjects

Michele Viviani

Publications and source records attributed to Michele Viviani.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A new analysis of the "hep" S-factor and the "hen" cross section

We present a new accurate analysis of the $^3$He$(p,e^+ν_e)$${}^4$He (''hep'') reaction at astrophysical energies. The S-factor is computed using a state-of-the-art method to calculate the four-nucleon scattering and bound-state wave functions (the hyperspherical harmonic expansion), and by using nuclear interactions and accompanying electroweak nuclear currents obtained within the chiral effective field theory framework. Our analysis includes a detailed examination of the theoretical uncertainties coming from two different sources: the truncation of the interaction and current chiral expansions, and the model dependence. Our recommended final theoretical value for the hep S-factor at zero energyis $S(0)=(8.7\pm 0.9)\times 10^{-20}$ keV b. We provide also the energy spectrum of the outgoing hep positrons which may be measured in future experiments. We include also an analysis of the ''sister'' reaction $^3$He$(n,γ)$${}^4$He (''hen'') at low energies, showing that the calculation well reproduce the total cross section from thermal energies to few MeV, validating our results on the hep reaction.

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arXiv2026

ToMCCA-3: A realistic 3-body coalescence model

The formation of light nuclei in high-energy collisions provides valuable insights into the underlying dynamics of the strong interaction and the structure of the particle-emitting source. Understanding this process is crucial not only for nuclear physics but also for astrophysical studies, where the production of rare antinuclei could serve as a probe for new physics. This work presents a three-body coalescence model based on the Wigner function formalism, offering a refined description of light-nucleus production. By incorporating realistic two- and three-body nuclear interaction potentials constrained by modern scattering and femtoscopic correlation data, our approach improves on traditional coalescence models. The framework is validated using event generators applied to proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV to predict the momentum spectra of light (anti) nuclear nuclei with mass number $A=3$, which are then compared with the experimental data from ALICE. Our results demonstrate the sensitivity of light nucleus yields to the choice of nuclear wave functions, emphasizing the importance of an accurate description of the coalescence process. This model lays the foundation for the extension of coalescence studies of $A=3$ light nuclei to a wider range of collision systems and energies.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Emulation of Proton-Deuteron Scattering via the Reduced Basis Method and Active Learning: Detailed Description

Nucleon-deuteron ($Nd$) scattering can be used to constrain three-nucleon forces in chiral effective field theory ($χ$EFT). However, high-fidelity calculations, such as the Hyperspherical Harmonic (HH) method, are computationally expensive, making it difficult or even prohibitive to explore the vast parameter space of $χ$EFT\xspace. To address this challenge, specifically for proton-deuteron ($pd$) scattering below the deuteron breakup threshold, we developed model-driven emulators based on the Reduced Basis Method (RBM) and active learning techniques, as presented in \href{https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.01844}{arXiv:2511.01844}. The method exploits the similarities between solutions at different parameter points to significantly reduce computational costs. In this companion paper, we provide a comprehensive description of our HH-based high-fidelity calculations and implementation of both variational-method-based and Galerkin-projection-based scattering emulators. We demonstrate the effectiveness of active learning in the form of greedy algorithms for selecting optimal training points in the parameter space, and the high accuracy and speed of the emulators, for two different nucleon forces and two scattering channels (${1/2}^+$ and ${1/2}^-$). For example, in a two-dimensional parameter space, the relative emulation errors can be reduced to $10^{-7}$ with fewer than 10 training points. Our work paves the way for the efficient calibration of $χ$EFT\xspace nucleon interactions using Bayesian statistics, and the methodology can be applied to other nuclear scattering processes (including neutron-deuteron scattering), as well as other finite quantum systems.

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arXiv2025

Accurate and Efficient Emulation of Proton-Deuteron Scattering via the Reduced Basis Method and Active Learning

We introduce highly accurate and efficient emulators for proton-deuteron scattering below the deuteron breakup threshold. We explore two different reduced-basis method strategies: one based on the Kohn variational principle and another on Galerkin projections of the underlying system of linear equations. We use the adaptive greedy algorithm previously developed for two-body scattering for optimal selection of high-fidelity training points in the input parameter space. We demonstrate that these emulators reproduce ab initio hyperspherical harmonics calculations of $R$-matrix elements with remarkable precision, achieving relative errors as low as $10^{-7}$ with a small number of training points, even in regions of strong nonlinear parameter dependence. They also dramatically accelerate the exploration of the scattering predictions in the parameter space, a capability highly desired for calibrating (chiral) three-nucleon forces against scattering measurements. Our formalism can be further generalized to handle nucleon-deuteron scattering above the breakup threshold. These emulator developments will provide valuable tools to accelerate uncertainty quantification and rigorous parameter inference in the study of nuclear forces.

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arXiv2025

The excited state of the $α$-particle: a benchmark study

A benchmark study is performed for the excited state of $^4$He. When the Coulomb interaction is switched off, the $^4$He nucleus exhibits a bound excited state in the vicinity of $p-{}^3$H threshold. As the Coulomb interaction is gradually introduced, the excited state crosses the threshold and eventually becomes a resonant state. Using three numerical methods, we track the evolution of this excited state and determine the resonance energy and width. Comparisons of the theoretical predictions reveal a significant discrepancy with commonly used $R$-matrix values based on the analysis of the experimental data. We explain the origin for this discrepancy. Additionally, the two-level energy spectrum of $^4$He in the absence of the Coulomb force exhibits characteristics linked to Efimov physics, suggesting a reduced sensitivity to interaction details.

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arXiv2025

$A=2,3$ nuclear contact coefficients in the Generalized Contact Formalism

This work focuses on extracting nuclear contact coefficients for $ A = 2 $, $ A = 3 $ and $ A = 4 $ nuclei within the Generalized Contact Formalism framework. We investigate the universality of these coefficients across different nuclear systems and interaction models, using both local (in $ r $-space) and non-local (in $ k $-space) chiral potentials. The Hyperspherical Harmonics method is employed to calculate the nuclear wave functions from which we obtain the two-body momentum distributions and the two-body density functions, which are essential for extracting the contact coefficients. The adopted method is a rigorous ab-initio approach that can be applied to virtually any potential. We present ratios of contact coefficients across various spin and isospin channels, highlighting their independence from the used nuclear potential. This study extends previous work where only local interaction models were employed. Furthermore, we verify whether the contact coefficient ratio between different nuclei remains consistent even when non-local potentials are considered. Future work will extend this analysis to heavier nuclei, such as $ A = 4 $ and $ A = 6 $ nuclei.

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arXiv2024

Solving the homogeneous Bethe-Salpeter equation with a quantum annealer

The homogeneous Bethe-Salpeter equation (hBSE), describing a bound system in a genuinely relativistic quantum-field theory framework, was solved for the first time by using a D-Wave quantum annealer. After applying standard techniques of discretization, the hBSE, in ladder approximation, can be formally transformed in a generalized eigenvalue problem (GEVP), with two square matrices: one symmetric and the other non symmetric. The latter matrix poses the challenge of obtaining a suitable formal approach for investigating the non symmetric GEVP by means of a quantum annealer, i.e to recast it as a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problem. A broad numerical analysis of the proposed algorithms, applied to matrices of dimension up to 64, was carried out by using both the proprietary simulated-anneaing package and the D-Wave Advantage 4.1 system. The numerical results very nicely compare with those obtained with standard classical algorithms, and also show interesting scalability features.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Bayesian analysis of muon capture on deuteron in chiral effective field theory

We compute the muon capture on deuteron in the doublet hyperfine state for a variety of nuclear interactions and consistent nuclear currents. Our analysis includes a detailed examination of the theoretical uncertainties coming from different sources: the single-nucleon axial form factor, the truncation of the interaction and current chiral expansion, and the model dependence. Moreover, we study the impact of the use of different power counting scheme for the electroweak currents on the truncation error. To estimate the truncation error of the chiral expansion of interactions and currents we use the most modern techniques based on Bayesian analysis. This method enables us to give a clear statistical interpretation of the computed theoretical uncertainties. Finally, we provide the differential capture rate as function of the kinetic energy of the outgoing neutron which may be measured in future experiments. Our recommended theoretical value for the total doublet capture rate is $Γ_{\rm th}=395\pm 10$ s$^{-1}$ ($68\%$ confidence level). We calculated also the capture rate in the quartet hyperfine state, which turns out to be in the range $[13.3-13.8]$ s$^{-1}$ depending on the adopted nuclear interaction.

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arXiv2023

The EMC effect for few-nucleon bound systems in Light-Front Hamiltonian Dynamics

The light-front formalism for a covariant description of the European Muon Collaboration (EMC) effect, already applied to $^3$He, is formally extended to any nucleus, and used for actually calculating the $^3$H and $^4$He cases. The realistic and accurate nuclear description of few-nucleon bound systems, obtained with both phenomenological and chiral potentials, has been properly combined with the Poincare' covariance and macroscopic locality, automatically satisfying both number of particles and momentum sum rule. While retaining the on-mass-shell nucleon structure functions, one is then able to predict a sizable EMC effect for $^4$He, as already observed for $^3$He. Moreover, the impact on the EMC effect of both i) the short-range correlations, such as those generated by modern nuclear interactions, and ii) the ratio between the neutron and proton structure functions has been studied. The short-range correlations generated by retaining only the standard nuclear degrees of freedom act on the depth of the minimum in the EMC ratio, while the uncertainties linked to the ratio of neutron to proton structure functions are found to be very small. These light-front results facilitates ascribing deviations from experimental data due to genuine QCD effects, not included in a standard nuclear description, and initiating unbiased investigations.

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arXiv2020

A Comprehensive Study of the Three- and Four-Neutron Systems at Low Energies

This work presents further analysis of the three- and four-neutron systems in the low energy regime using adiabatic hyperspherical methods. In our previous Phys. Rev. Lett. article (Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 052501 (2020)), the low-energy behavior of these neutron systems was treated in the adiabatic approximation, neglecting the off-diagonal non-adiabatic couplings. A thorough analysis of the density of states through a multi-channel treatment of the three-and four-neutron scattering near the scattering continuum threshold is performed, showing no evidence of a 4n resonance at low energy. A detailed analysis of the long-range behavior of the lowest few adiabatic hyperspherical potentials shows there is an attractive $ρ^{-3}$ universal behavior which dominates in the low-energy regime of the multi-channel scattering. This long-range behavior leads to a divergent behavior of the density of state for $E\rightarrow0$ that could account for the low-energy signal observed in the 2016 experiment by Kisamori et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 052501 (2016)).

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arXiv2020

Incoherent deeply virtual Compton scattering off $^4$He

Very recently, for the first time, the two channels of nuclear deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS), the coherent and incoherent ones, have been separated by the CLAS collaboration at JLab, using a $^4$He target. The incoherent channel, which can provide a tomographic view of the bound proton and shed light on its elusive parton structure, is thoroughly analyzed here in Impulse Approximation (IA). A convolution formula for the cross sections in terms of those for the bound proton is derived. Novel scattering amplitudes for a bound moving nucleon have been obtained and used. A state-of-the-art nuclear spectral function, based on the AV18 potential, exact in the two-body part, with the recoiling system in its ground state, and modelled in the remaining contribution, with the recoiling system in an excited state, has been used. Different parametrizations of the generalized parton distributions of the struck proton have been tested. A good overall agreement with the data for the beam spin asymmetry (BSA) is obtained. It is found that the predicted conventional nuclear effects are relevant in DVCS and in the competing Bethe-Heitler mechanism, but they cancel each other to a large extent in their ratio, to which the measured asymmetry is proportional. Besides, the calculated ratio of the BSA of the bound proton to that of the free one does not describe that estimated by the experimental collaboration. This points to possible interesting effects beyond the IA analysis presented here. It is therefore clearly demonstrated that the comparison of the results of a conventional realistic approach, as the one presented here, with future precise data, has the potential to expose quark and gluon effects in nuclei. Interesting perspectives for the next measurements at high luminosity facilities, such as JLab at 12 GeV and the future EIC, are addressed.

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arXiv2020

Non-resonant Density of States Enhancement at Low Energies for Three or Four Neutrons

The low energy systems of three or four neutrons are treated within the adiabatic hyperspherical framework, yielding an understanding of the low energy quantum states in terms of an adiabatic potential energy curve. The dominant low energy potential curve for each system, computed here using widely accepted nucleon-nucleon interactions with and without the inclusion of a three-nucleon force, shows no sign of a low energy resonance. However, both systems exhibit a low energy enhancement of the density of states, or of the Wigner-Smith time-delay, which derives from long-range universal physics analogous to the Efimov effect. That enhancement could be relevant to understanding the low energy excess of correlated 4-neutron ejection events observed experimentally in a nuclear reaction by Kisamori et al.

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arXiv2020

Calculation of the ${}^6$Li ground state within the hyperspherical harmonic basis

We have studied the solution of the six-nucleon bound state problem using the hyperspherical harmonic (HH) approach. For this study we have considered only two-body nuclear forces. In particular we have used a chiral nuclear potential evolved with the similarity renormalization group unitary transformation. A restricted basis has been selected by performing a careful analysis of the convergence of different HH classes. Finally, the binding energy and other properties of ${}^6$Li ground state are calculated and compared with the results obtained by other techniques. Then, we present a calculation of matrix elements relevant for direct dark matter search involving ${}^6$Li. The results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of using the HH method to perform calculation beyond $A = 4$.

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arXiv2020

Catching a glimpse of the parton structure of the bound proton

A new generation of experiments is expected to shed light on the elusive parton structure of the bound proton. One of the most promising directions is incoherent deeply virtual Compton scattering, which can provide a tomographic view of the bound proton. The first measurement has been recently performed, using $^4$He targets at Jefferson Lab. In the work presented here, a rigorous Impulse Approximation analysis of this process is proposed. As ingredients, state-of-the-art models of the nuclear spectral function and of the parton structure of the struck proton, together with novel scattering amplitudes expressions for a bound moving nucleon, have been used. A good overall agreement with the data is obtained, in particular at high values of the photon virtuality. The observed big difference between results for the bound proton and those for the free one turns out to be due in small part to modifications of the parton structure, and rather it should be related to kinematical nuclear effects. The analysis demonstrates that the comparison of the results of this approach, based on a conventional description, with future precise data, has the potential to expose exotic quark and gluon effects in nuclei.

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arXiv2019

Theoretical study of deeply virtual Compton scattering off $^4$He

An interesting breakthrough in understanding the elusive inner content of nuclear systems in terms of partonic degrees of freedom is represented by deeply virtual Compton scattering processes. In such a way, tomographic view of nuclei and bound nucleons in coordinate space could be achieved for the first time. Moreover, nowadays experimental results for such a process considering $^4$He targets recently released at Jefferson Lab are available. In this talk, the recent results of our rigorous Impulse Approximation for DVCS off $^4$He, in terms of state-of-the-art models of the nuclear spectral function and of the parton structure of the bound proton, able to explain present data, has been shown.

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arXiv2019

Deeply virtual Compton Scattering off $^4$He

Deeply virtual Compton scattering is a fascinating process which can provide a tomographic view of nuclei and bound nucleons. The first experimental results for $^4$He targets, recently released at Jefferson Lab, have been analyzed here in a rigorous Impulse Approximation scenario. For both the coherent and incoherent channels of the process, the main experimental observables have been written in terms of state-of-the-art models of the nuclear spectral function and of the parton structure of the bound proton. A good overall agreement with the data is obtained. The calculation shows that a comparison of our conventional results with future precise data can expose novel quark and gluon effects in nuclei.

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arXiv2019

Computing an orthonormal basis of symmetric or antisymmetric hyperspherical harmonics

A numerical method to build an orthonormal basis of properly symmetrized hyperspherical harmonic functions is developed. As a part of it, refined algorithms for calculating the transformation coefficients between hyperspherical harmonics constructed from different sets of Jacobi vectors are derived and discussed. Moreover, an algorithm to directly determine the numbers of independent symmetric hyperspherical states (in case of bosonic systems) and antisymmetric hyperspherical-spinisospin states (in case of fermionic systems) entering the expansion of the A-body wave functions is presented. Numerical implementations for systems made with up to five bodies are reported.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2019

Embedding nuclear physics inside the unitary window

The large values of the singlet and triplet scattering lengths locate the two-nucleon system close to the unitary limit, the limit in which these two values diverge. As a consequence, the system shows a continuous scale invariance which strongly constrains the values of the observables, a well-known fact already noticed a long time ago. The three-nucleon system shows a discrete scale invariance that can be observed by correlations of the triton binding energy with other observables as the doublet nucleon-deuteron scattering length or the alpha-particle binding energy. The low-energy dynamics of these systems is universal; it does not depend on the details of the particular way in which the nucleons interact. Instead, it depends on a few control parameters, the large values of the scattering lengths and the triton binding energy. Using a potential model with variable strength set to give values to the control parameters, we study the spectrum of $A=2,3,4,6$ nuclei in the region between the unitary limit and their physical values. In particular, we analyze how the binding energies emerge from the unitary limit forming the observed levels.

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