arXiv subjects

Steven C. Pieper

Publications and source records attributed to Steven C. Pieper.

51 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2004

Neutron Matter: A Superfluid Gas

We review recent progress in the theory of neutron matter with particular emphasis on its superfluid properties. Results of quantum Monte Carlo calculations of simple and realistic models of uniform superfluid neutron gas are discussed along with those of neutrons interacting in a potential well chosen to approximate neutron-rich oxygen isotopes. The properties of dilute superfluid Fermi gases that may be produced in atom traps, and their relations with neutron matter, are illustrated. The density dependence of the effective interaction between neutrons, used to describe neutron-rich systems with the mean field approximations, is also discussed.

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arXiv2003

Can Modern Nuclear Hamiltonians Tolerate a Bound Tetraneutron?

I show that it does not seem possible to change modern nuclear Hamiltonians to bind a tetraneutron without destroying many other successful predictions of those Hamiltonians. This means that, should a recent experimental claim of a bound tetraneutron be confirmed, our understanding of nuclear forces will have to be significantly changed. I also point out some errors in previous theoretical studies of this problem.

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arXiv2002

Evolution of Nuclear Spectra with Nuclear Forces

We first define a series of NN interaction models ranging from very simple to fully realistic. We then present Green's function Monte Carlo calculations of light nuclei to show how nuclear spectra evolve as the nuclear forces are made increasingly sophisticated. We find that the absence of stable five- and eight-body nuclei depends crucially on the spin, isospin, and tensor components of the nuclear force.

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arXiv2002

Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of $A=9,10$ nuclei

We report on quantum Monte Carlo calculations of the ground and low-lying excited states of $A=9,10$ nuclei using realistic Hamiltonians containing the Argonne $v_{18}$ two-nucleon potential alone or with one of several three-nucleon potentials, including Urbana IX and three of the new Illinois models. The calculations begin with correlated many-body wave functions that have an $α$-like core and multiple p-shell nucleons, $LS$-coupled to the appropriate $(J^π;T)$ quantum numbers for the state of interest. After optimization, these variational trial functions are used as input to a Green's function Monte Carlo calculation of the energy, using a constrained path algorithm. We find that the Hamiltonians that include Illinois three-nucleon potentials reproduce ten states in $^9$Li, $^9$Be, $^{10}$Be, and $^{10}$B with an rms deviation as little as 900 keV. In particular, we obtain the correct 3$^+$ ground state for $^{10}$B, whereas the Argonne $v_{18}$ alone or with Urbana IX predicts a 1$^+$ ground state. In addition, we calculate isovector and isotensor energy differences, electromagnetic moments, and one- and two-body density distributions.

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arXiv2002

Monte Carlo integration in Glauber model analysis of reactions of halo nuclei

Reaction and elastic differential cross sections are calculated for light nuclei in the framework of the Glauber theory. The optical phase-shift function is evaluated by Monte Carlo integration. This enables us to use the most accurate wave functions and calculate the phase-shift functions without approximation. Examples of proton nucleus (e.g. p-$^6$He, p-$^6$Li) and nucleus-nucleus (e.g. $^6$He$-^{12}$C) scatterings illustrate the effectiveness of the method. This approach gives us a possibility of a more stringent analysis of the high-energy reactions of halo nuclei.

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arXiv2001

Benchmark Test Calculation of a Four-Nucleon Bound State

In the past, several efficient methods have been developed to solve the Schroedinger equation for four-nucleon bound states accurately. These are the Faddeev-Yakubovsky, the coupled-rearrangement-channel Gaussian-basis variational, the stochastic variational, the hyperspherical variational, the Green's function Monte Carlo, the no-core shell model and the effective interaction hyperspherical harmonic methods. In this article we compare the energy eigenvalue results and some wave function properties using the realistic AV8' NN interaction. The results of all schemes agree very well showing the high accuracy of our present ability to calculate the four-nucleon bound state.

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arXiv2001

Realistic models of pion-exchange three-nucleon interactions

We present realistic models of pion-exchange three-nucleon interactions obtained by fitting the energies of all the 17 bound or narrow states of 3 <= A <= 8 nucleons, calculated with less than 2% error using the Green's function Monte Carlo method. The models contain two-pion-exchange terms due to pi-N scattering in S- and P-waves, three-pion-exchange terms due to ring diagrams with one Delta in the intermediate states, and a phenomenological repulsive term. The models have five parameters: the four strengths and the short-range cutoff. The 17 fitted energies are insufficient to determine all of them uniquely. We consider five models; they reproduce the observed energies with an rms error < 1% when used together with the Argonne v18 two-nucleon interaction. In one of the models the pi-N S-wave scattering interaction is set to zero; in all others it has the strength suggested by chiral effective field theory. One model also assumes that the pi-N P-wave scattering interaction has the strength suggested by effective field theories, and the cutoff is adjusted to fit the data. In all other models the cutoff is taken to be the same as in the AV18 interaction. The effect of relativistic boost correction is estimated. Results obtained with only Argonne v8' and v18 interactions are also reported. In addition, we present results for 7- and 8-body neutron drops in external potential wells.

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arXiv2001

Quantum Monte Carlo Calculations of Light Nuclei

Accurate quantum Monte Carlo calculations of ground and low-lying excited states of light p-shell nuclei are now possible for realistic nuclear Hamiltonians that fit nucleon-nucleon scattering data. At present, results for more than 30 different (J^pi;T) states, plus isobaric analogs, in A \leq 8 nuclei have been obtained with an excellent reproduction of the experimental energy spectrum. These microscopic calculations show that nuclear structure, including both single-particle and clustering aspects, can be explained starting from elementary two- and three-nucleon interactions. Various density and momentum distributions, electromagnetic form factors, and spectroscopic factors have also been computed, as well as electroweak capture reactions of astrophysical interest.

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arXiv2000

Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of A=8 nuclei

We report quantum Monte Carlo calculations of ground and low-lying excited states for A=8 nuclei using a realistic Hamiltonian containing the Argonne v18 two-nucleon and Urbana IX three-nucleon potentials. The calculations begin with correlated eight-body wave functions that have a filled alpha-like core and four p-shell nucleons LS-coupled to the appropriate (J+/-;T) quantum numbers for the state of interest. After optimization, these variational wave functions are used as input to a Green's function Monte Carlo calculation made with a new constrained path algorithm. We find that the Hamiltonian produces an 8Be ground state that is within 2 MeV of the experimental resonance, but the other eight-body energies are progressively worse as the neutron-proton asymmetry increases. The 8Li ground state is stable against breakup into subclusters, but the 8He ground state is not. The excited state spectra are in fair agreement with experiment, with both the single-particle behavior of 8He and 8Li and the collective rotational behavior of 8Be being reproduced. We also examine energy differences in the T=1 and 2 isomultiplets and isospin-mixing matrix elements in the excited states of 8Be. Finally, we present densities, momentum distributions, and studies of the intrinsic shapes of these nuclei, with 8Be exhibiting a definite 2-alpha cluster structure.

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arXiv1998

Center-of-mass effects on the quasi-hole spectroscopic factors in the 16O(e,e'p) reaction

The spectroscopic factors for the low-lying quasi-hole states observed in the 16O(e,e'p)15N reaction are reinvestigated with a variational Monte Carlo calculation for the structure of the initial and final nucleus. A computational error in a previous report is rectified. It is shown that a proper treatment of center-of-mass motion does not lead to a reduction of the spectroscopic factor for $p$-shell quasi-hole states, but rather to a 7% enhancement. This is in agreement with analytical results obtained in the harmonic oscillator model. The center-of-mass effect worsens the discrepancy between present theoretical models and the experimentally observed single-particle strength. We discuss the present status of this problem, including some other mechanisms that may be relevant in this respect.

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arXiv1997

Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of nuclei with A \leq 7

We report quantum Monte Carlo calculations of ground and low-lying excited states for nuclei with A \leq 7 using a realistic Hamiltonian containing the Argonne v18 two-nucleon and Urbana IX three-nucleon potentials. A detailed description of the Green's function Monte Carlo algorithm for systems with state-dependent potentials is given and a number of tests of its convergence and accuracy are performed. We find that the Hamiltonian being used results in ground states of both 6Li and 7Li that are stable against breakup into subclusters, but somewhat underbound compared to experiment. We also have results for 6He, 7He, and their isobaric analogs. The known excitation spectra of all these nuclei are reproduced reasonably well and we predict a number of excited states in 6He and 7He. We also present spin-polarized one-body and several different two-body density distributions. These are the first microscopic calculations that directly produce nuclear shell structure from realistic interactions that fit NN scattering data.

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arXiv1996

Femtometer Toroidal Structures in Nuclei

The two-nucleon density distributions in states with isospin $T=0$, spin $S$=1 and projection $M_S$=0 and $\pm$1 are studied in $^2$H, $^{3,4}$He, $^{6,7}$Li and $^{16}$O. The equidensity surfaces for $M_S$=0 distributions are found to be toroidal in shape, while those of $M_S$=$\pm$1 have dumbbell shapes at large density. The dumbbell shapes are generated by rotating tori. The toroidal shapes indicate that the tensor correlations have near maximal strength at $r<2$ fm in all these nuclei. They provide new insights and simple explanations of the structure and electromagnetic form factors of the deuteron, the quasi-deuteron model, and the $dp$, $dd$ and $αd$ $L$=2 ($D$-wave) components in $^3$He, $^4$He and $^6$Li. The toroidal distribution has a maximum-density diameter of $\sim$1 fm and a half-maximum density thickness of $\sim$0.9 fm. Many realistic models of nuclear forces predict these values, which are supported by the observed electromagnetic form factors of the deuteron, and also predicted by classical Skyrme effective Lagrangians, related to QCD in the limit of infinite colors. Due to the rather small size of this structure, it could have a revealing relation to certain aspects of QCD.

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arXiv1995

Neutron Drops and Skyrme Energy-Density Functionals

The J$^π$=0$^+$ ground state of a drop of 8 neutrons and the lowest 1/2$^-$ and 3/2$^-$ states of 7-neutron drops, all in an external well, are computed accurately with variational and Green's function Monte Carlo methods for a Hamiltonian containing the Argonne $v_{18}$ two-nucleon and Urbana IX three-nucleon potentials. These states are also calculated using Skyrme-type energy-density functionals. Commonly used functionals overestimate the central density of these drops and the spin-orbit splitting of 7-neutron drops. Improvements in the functionals are suggested.

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arXiv1995

Variational calculations of the $Λ$-seperation energy of the $_Λ^{17}$O hypernucleus

Variational Monte Carlo calculations have been made for the $_{ Λ}^{17}$O hypernucleus using realistic two- and three-baryon interactions. A two pion exchange potential with spin- and space-exchange components is used for the $Λ$N potential. Three-body two-pion exchange and strongly repulsive dispersive $Λ$NN interactions are also included. The trial wave function is constructed from pair- and triplet-correlation operators acting on a single particle determinant. These operators consist of central, spin, isospin, tensor and three- baryon potential components. A cluster Monte Carlo method is developed for noncentral correlations and is used with up to four-baryon clusters in our calculations. The three-baryon $Λ$NN force is discussed.

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arXiv1994

Many-body effects in 16O(e,e'p)

Effects of nucleon-nucleon correlations on exclusive $(e,e'p)$ reactions on closed-shell nuclei leading to single-hole states are studied using $^{16}O(e,e'p)^{15}N$ ($6.32$ MeV, $3/2^-$) as an example. The quasi-hole wave function, calculated from the overlap of translationally invariant many-body variational wave functions containing realistic spatial, spin and isospin correlations, seems to describe the initial state of the struck proton accurately inside the nucleus, however it is too large at the surface. The effect of short-range correlations on the final state is found to be largely cancelled by the increase in the transparency for the struck proton. It is estimated that the values of the spectroscopic factors obtained with the DWIA may increase by a few percent due to correlation effects in the final state.

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