arXiv subjects

Sebastian König

Publications and source records attributed to Sebastian König.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Three- and four-boson systems expanded around the unitarity limit: Application to $^4$He molecules

The three- and four-boson systems with a large scattering length and a short effective range in the two-body sector are studied in the framework of Short-Range Effective Field Theory (SREFT). The starting point (leading order) of the EFT is taken to be the universal unitarity limit, where the two-body sector is parameter-free and only one three-body parameter enters. In this limit, physical systems manifest discrete scale invariance. Deviations from universality arising from finite scattering-length and effective-range corrections, as well as a four-body force required by renormalization, are included perturbatively at next-to-leading order. The three-body ground state and its associated four-body ground and first-excited states are studied using the Faddeev-Yakubovsky (FY) formalism and a complementary diagrammatic approach. By employing techniques to remove contributions from deep trimers in tetramer calculations, we extend our analysis to larger cutoffs than previously accessible within the FY approach to SREFT. Our results for binding energies and radii of $^4$He three- and four-atom systems converge well to results obtained with sophisticated phenomenological potentials. These successes suggest that the physics of $^4$He atomic clusters is governed by only small deviations from discrete scale invariance.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2026

Constructing Effective Interactions via Projection-Based Inversion

We present a numerical prescription for extracting continuum scattering information from discrete spectra by constraining effective interactions inspired by effective field theory (EFT). Using a Multiparameter Eigenvalue Problem (MEP) emulator, we map energies to a sum of contact potentials by recasting the inverse problem as a linear eigenvalue equation. Because our method determines the effective interaction rather than the scattering amplitude, it can handle non-perturbative Coulomb interactions and different types of truncated Hilbert spaces without analytic quantization conditions. It therefore allows standard bound-state codes to be used for scattering calculations without modification. We validate this prescription across multiple ab initio frameworks using neutron-alpha scattering, alpha-alpha scattering with full Coulomb, and a prediction of proton-$^{14}$O resonances.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2026

Short-distance production of three particles with large scattering length

The short-distance production of multi-particle states in high-energy nuclear reactions provides a unique way to study the low-energy properties of few-body systems. In particular, the production amplitude of multineutron systems is strongly constrained by an approximate conformal symmetry of the underlying theory. We calculate the full amplitude for the short-distance production of three particles with large scattering length in leading order pionless EFT, focusing on the cases of three neutrons and three spinless bosons. We investigate the signature of low-energy resonances and other correlations in the relative energy distributions. For the case of neutrons, we compare to the predictions from approximate conformal symmetry close to the unitary limit and calculate the range corrections up to next-to-next-to leading order.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2026

What is a resonance? And why does it matter?

The resonance phenomenon is of central importance in many areas of physics, with particular significance in the study of nuclear structure and reactions. Starting from the classical framework of damped driven oscillations, this text introduces and analyzes quantum-mechanical resonances in a pedagogical and systematic fashion, with emphasis on applications in nuclear physics. Building on the formal theory of resonances, the text elucidates the relationship between experimental observations, phenomenological insights, and computational methods used to characterize and describe resonant states. The discussion encompasses the diverse manifestations of nuclear resonances, ranging from few- to many-body systems, all the way to collective phenomena and to exotic systems that appear near the limits of nuclear stability. References to the relevant literature are provided to assist readers who wish to explore specific topics in more depth.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2026

The Three-Body Limit Cycle: Universal Form for General Regulators

The Efimov effect, a remarkable realization of discrete scale invariance, emerges in the three-body problem with short-range interactions and is understood as a renormalization group (RG) limit cycle within Short-Range Effective Field Theory (SREFT). While the analytic form of the three-body renormalization relation has been established for a sharp cutoff regulator, its universality for other regulators remains underexplored. In this work, we derive the universal functional form of the three-body renormalization relation for general separable regulators through a detailed analysis of the Skorniakov-Ter-Martirosian and Faddeev equations. We find that the relation follows from a real Möbius transformation characterized by three parameters. This universality is verified numerically for various regulators. Although the functional form remains the same, the parameters characterizing the limit cycle exhibit regulator dependence. These findings broaden the class of RG limit cycles in SREFT and offer a more complete understanding of three-body renormalization.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2025

Perturbative EFT calculation of the deuteron longitudinal response function

In this work, we study the longitudinal response function of the deuteron up to next-to-next-to-leading order in chiral effective field theory (Chiral EFT). We use an approach that maintains exact renormalization group (RG) invariance at each order of the EFT expansion by treating all subleading corrections in perturbation theory. To that end, we extent the Lorentz Integral Transform (LIT) method to allow for such a perturbative treatment. In doing so, we further develop the existing work on strictly RG invariant Chiral EFT, which has so far focused primarily on binding energies and static properties, to inelastic processes. We carefully analyze the convergence properties of the theory and find good agreement with available experimental data. Our findings provide the foundation for similar studies of inelastic processes in a range of nuclei, based on perturbatively renormalized EFT schemes.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2025

Simplification of chiral nuclear forces near the unitarity limit

Modern theory approaches for describing atomic nuclei often make use of on an effective theory that constructs the interaction between nucleons systematically based on Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), exploiting constraints arising from the approximate chiral symmetry of QCD. The tensor nuclear force produced by one-pion exchange is an important feature that arises naturally in this framework. In this work we show that, however, the tensor force is suppressed by the large nucleon-nucleon scattering lengths in combination with the smallness of the pion mass. Based on this observation, we propose a new scheme for a chiral nuclear force that is able to describe $NN$ phase shifts up to the center-of-mass momenta $k \simeq 300$ MeV while treating pion exchange as a perturbation. Our much simplified leading-order force provides a microscopic explanation for the recent success of various short-range nuclear forces from the perspective of chiral effective field theory, and it shares with those approaches an approximate Wigner SU(4) symmetry, as well as the closeness to the unitarity limit (infinite nucleon-nucleon scattering lengths), as guiding principles. Compared to previous approaches to perturbative-pion interactions, our force also adjusts the ordering of short-range contact interactions, by means of which we overcome convergence problems of the expansion that were previously assumed to severely limit its usefulness. We demonstrate the performance of our approach with numerical calculations of $NN$ scattering up to fourth order, in addition to studies of $3N$ and $4N$ bound-state properties.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2025

Towards scalable bound-to-resonance extrapolations for few- and many-body systems

In open quantum many-body systems, the theoretical description of resonant states of many particles strongly coupled to the continuum can be challenging. Such states are commonplace in, for example, exotic nuclei and hadrons, and can reveal important information about the underlying forces at play in these systems. In this work, we demonstrate that the complex-augmented eigenvector continuation (CA-EC) method, originally formulated for the two-body problem with uniform complex scaling, can reliably perform bound-to-resonance extrapolations for genuine three-body resonances having no bound subsystems. We first establish that three-body bound-to-resonance extrapolations are possible by benchmarking different few-body approaches, and we provide arguments to explain how the extrapolation works in the many-body case. We furthermore pave the way towards scalable resonance extrapolations in many-body systems by showing that the CA-EC method also works in the Berggren basis, studying a realistic application using the Gamow shell model.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2025

ECOSoundSet: a finely annotated dataset for the automated acoustic identification of Orthoptera and Cicadidae in North, Central and temperate Western Europe

Currently available tools for the automated acoustic recognition of European insects in natural soundscapes are limited in scope. Large and ecologically heterogeneous acoustic datasets are currently needed for these algorithms to cross-contextually recognize the subtle and complex acoustic signatures produced by each species, thus making the availability of such datasets a key requisite for their development. Here we present ECOSoundSet (European Cicadidae and Orthoptera Sound dataSet), a dataset containing 10,653 recordings of 200 orthopteran and 24 cicada species (217 and 26 respective taxa when including subspecies) present in North, Central, and temperate Western Europe (Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, mainland France and Corsica, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Switzerland), collected partly through targeted fieldwork in South France and Catalonia and partly through contributions from various European entomologists. The dataset is composed of a combination of coarsely labeled recordings, for which we can only infer the presence, at some point, of their target species (weak labeling), and finely annotated recordings, for which we know the specific time and frequency range of each insect sound present in the recording (strong labeling). We also provide a train/validation/test split of the strongly labeled recordings, with respective approximate proportions of 0.8, 0.1 and 0.1, in order to facilitate their incorporation in the training and evaluation of deep learning algorithms. This dataset could serve as a meaningful complement to recordings already available online for the training of deep learning algorithms for the acoustic classification of orthopterans and cicadas in North, Central, and temperate Western Europe.

cs.SD↗

arXiv2024

Eigenvector Continuation and Projection-Based Emulators

Eigenvector continuation is a computational method for parametric eigenvalue problems that uses subspace projection with a basis derived from eigenvector snapshots from different parameter sets. It is part of a broader class of subspace-projection techniques called reduced-basis methods. In this colloquium article, we present the development, theory, and applications of eigenvector continuation and projection-based emulators. We introduce the basic concepts, discuss the underlying theory and convergence properties, and present recent applications for quantum systems and future prospects.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2024

Complex scaling in finite volume

Quantum resonances, i.e., metastable states with a finite lifetime, play an important role in nuclear physics and other domains. Describing this phenomenon theoretically is generally a challenging task. In this work, we combine two established techniques to address this challenge. Complex scaling makes it possible to calculate resonances with bound-state-like methods. Finite-volume simulations exploit the fact that the infinite-volume properties of quantum systems are encoded in how discrete energy levels change as one varies the size of the volume. We apply complex scaling to systems in finite periodic boxes and derive the volume dependence of states in this scenario, demonstrating with explicit examples how one can use these relations to infer infinite-volume resonance energies and lifetimes.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2023

Radius extrapolations for two-body bound states in finite volume

Simulations of quantum systems in finite volume have proven to be a useful tool for calculating physical observables. Such studies to date have focused primarily on understanding the volume dependence of binding energies, from which it is possible to extract asymptotic properties of the corresponding bound state, as well as on extracting scattering information. For bound states, all properties depend on the size of the finite volume, and for precision studies it is important to understand such effects. In this work, we therefore derive the volume dependence of the mean squared radius of a two-body bound state, using a technique that can be generalized to other static properties in the future. We test our results with explicit numerical examples and demonstrate that we can robustly extract infinite-volume radii from finite-volume simulations in cubic boxes with periodic boundary conditions.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2023

Charged-particle bound states in periodic boxes

We consider the binding energy of a two-body system with a repulsive Coulomb interaction in a finite periodic volume. We define the finite-volume Coulomb potential as the usual Coulomb potential, except that the distance is defined as the shortest separation between the two bodies in the periodic volume. We investigate this problem in one and three-dimensional periodic boxes and derive the asymptotic behavior of the volume dependence for bound states with zero angular momentum in terms of Whittaker functions. We benchmark our results against numerical calculations and show how the method can be used to extract asymptotic normalization coefficients for charged-particle bound states. The results we derive here have immediate applications for calculations of atomic nuclei in finite periodic volumes for the case where the leading finite-volume correction is associated with two charged clusters.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2023

Eigenvector continuation for emulating and extrapolating two-body resonances

The study of open quantum systems (OQSs), i.e., systems interacting with an environment, impacts our understanding of exotic nuclei in low-energy nuclear physics, hadrons, cold-atom systems, or even noisy intermediate-scale quantum computers. Such systems often exhibit resonance states characterized by energy positions and dispersions (or decay widths), the properties of which can be difficult to predict theoretically due to their coupling to the continuum of scattering states. Dealing with this phenomenon poses challenges both conceptually and numerically. For that reason, we investigate how the reduced basis method known as eigenvector continuation (EC), which has emerged as a powerful tool to emulate bound and scattering states in closed quantum systems, can be used to study resonance properties. In particular, we present a generalization of EC that we call conjugate-augmented eigenvector continuation, which is based on the complex-scaling method and designed to predict Gamow-Siegert states, and thus resonant properties of OQSs, using only bound-state wave functions as input.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2022

Three-body resonances in pionless effective field theory

We investigate the appearance of resonances in three-body systems using pionless effective field theory at leading order. The Faddeev equation is analytically continued to the unphysical sheet adjacent to the positive real energy axis using a contour rotation. We consider both, the three-boson system and the three-neutron system. For the former, we calculate the trajectory of Borromean three-body Efimov states turning into resonances as they cross the three-body threshold. For the latter, we find no sign of three-body resonances or virtual states at leading order. This result is validated by exploring the level structure of three-body states in a finite volume approach.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2022

Volume extrapolation via eigenvector continuation

We develop an extension of eigenvector continuation (EC) that makes it possible to extrapolate simulations of quantum systems in finite periodic boxes across large ranges of box sizes. The formal justification for this approach, which we call finite-volume eigenvector continuation (FVEC), is provided by matching periodic functions at different box sizes. As concrete FVEC implementation we use a discrete variable representation based on plane-wave states and present several applications calculated within this framework.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2022

Constructing chiral effective field theory around unnatural leading-order interactions

A momentum-dependent formulation based on a stationary spin-0 and isospin-1 dibaryon field is proposed to improve convergence of chiral effective field theory in the $\cs{1}{0}$ channel of $NN$ scattering. Although the two-parameter leading-order interaction appears to be unnatural, it nevertheless has the necessary features of an effective field theory. A rapid order-by-order convergence is found in $\cs{1}{0}$. As an application beyond the two-body level, the triton binding energy is studied and compared to standard chiral effective field theory with partly perturbative pions. The consistency of the chiral Lagrangian for the new formulation is examined by working out the pionic radiative corrections, and consequences of nontrivial chiral-connection terms are discussed.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2022

Nuclear Forces for Precision Nuclear Physics -- a collection of perspectives

This is a collection of perspective pieces contributed by the participants of the Institute of Nuclear Theory's Program on Nuclear Physics for Precision Nuclear Physics which was held virtually from April 19 to May 7, 2021. The collection represents the reflections of a vibrant and engaged community of researchers on the status of theoretical research in low-energy nuclear physics, the challenges ahead, and new ideas and strategies to make progress in nuclear structure and reaction physics, effective field theory, lattice QCD, quantum information, and quantum computing. The contributed pieces solely reflect the perspectives of the respective authors and do not represent the viewpoints of the Institute for Nuclear theory or the organizers of the program.

nucl-th↗