arXiv subjects

Wick Haxton

Publications and source records attributed to Wick Haxton.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Effective theory tower for $\mu\rightarrow e$ conversion

We present theoretical predictions for $\mu \rightarrow e$ conversion rates using a tower of effective field theories connecting the UV to nuclear physics scales. The interactions in nuclei are described using a recently developed nonrelativistic effective theory (NRET) that organizes contributions according to bound nucleon and muon velocities, $\vec{v}_N$ and $\vec{v}_\mu$, with $|\vec{v}_N| > |\vec{v}_\mu|$. To facilitate the top-down matching, we enlarge the set of Lorentz covariant nucleon-level interactions mapped onto the NRET operators to include those mediated by tensor interactions, in addition to the scalar and vector interactions already considered previously, and then match NRET nonperturbatively onto the Weak Effective Theory (WET). At the scale $\mu \approx 2$ GeV WET is formulated in terms of $u$, $d$, $s$ quarks, gluons and photons as the light degrees of freedom, along with the flavor-violating leptonic current. We retain contributions from WET operators up to dimension 7, which requires the full set of 26 NRET operators. The results are encoded in the open-source Python- and Mathematica-based software suite MuonBridge, which we make available to the theoretical and experimental communities interested in $\mu \rightarrow e$ conversion.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

The Gallium Anomaly

In order to test the end-to-end operations of gallium solar neutrino experiments, intense electron-capture sources were fabricated to measure the responses of the radiochemical SAGE and GALLEX/GNO detectors to known fluxes of low-energy neutrinos. Such tests were viewed at the time as a cross-check, given the many tests of $^{71}$Ge recovery and counting that had been routinely performed, with excellent results. However, the four $^{51}$Cr and $^{37}$Ar source experiments yielded rates below expectations, a result commonly known as the Ga anomaly. As the intensity of the electron-capture sources can be measured to high precision, the neutrino lines they produce are fixed by known atomic and nuclear rates, and the neutrino absorption cross section on $^{71}$Ga is tightly constrained by the lifetime of $^{71}$Ge, no simple explanation for the anomaly has been found. To check these calibration experiments, a dedicated experiment BEST was performed, utilizing a neutrino source of unprecedented intensity and a detector optimized to increase statistics while providing some information on counting rate as a function of distance from the source. The results BEST obtained are consistent with the earlier solar neutrino calibration experiments, and when combined with those measurements, yield a Ga anomaly with a significance of approximately $4\sigma$, under conservative assumptions. But BEST found no evidence of distance dependence and thus no explicit indication of new physics. In this review we describe the extensive campaigns carried out by SAGE, GALLEX/GNO, and BEST to demonstrate the reliability and precision of their experimental procedures, including $^{71}$Ge recovery, counting, and analysis. We also describe efforts to define uncertainties in the neutrino capture cross section. With the results from BEST, an anomaly remains.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2023

Dense Nuclear Matter Equation of State from Heavy-Ion Collisions

The nuclear equation of state (EOS) is at the center of numerous theoretical and experimental efforts in nuclear physics. With advances in microscopic theories for nuclear interactions, the availability of experiments probing nuclear matter under conditions not reached before, endeavors to develop sophisticated and reliable transport simulations to interpret these experiments, and the advent of multi-messenger astronomy, the next decade will bring new opportunities for determining the nuclear matter EOS, elucidating its dependence on density, temperature, and isospin asymmetry. Among controlled terrestrial experiments, collisions of heavy nuclei at intermediate beam energies (from a few tens of MeV/nucleon to about 25 GeV/nucleon in the fixed-target frame) probe the widest ranges of baryon density and temperature, enabling studies of nuclear matter from a few tenths to about 5 times the nuclear saturation density and for temperatures from a few to well above a hundred MeV, respectively. Collisions of neutron-rich isotopes further bring the opportunity to probe effects due to the isospin asymmetry. However, capitalizing on the enormous scientific effort aimed at uncovering the dense nuclear matter EOS, both at RHIC and at FRIB as well as at other international facilities, depends on the continued development of state-of-the-art hadronic transport simulations. This white paper highlights the essential role that heavy-ion collision experiments and hadronic transport simulations play in understanding strong interactions in dense nuclear matter, with an emphasis on how these efforts can be used together with microscopic approaches and neutron star studies to uncover the nuclear EOS.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2019

Towards grounding nuclear physics in QCD

Exascale computing could soon enable a predictive theory of nuclear structure and reactions rooted in the Standard Model, with quantifiable and systematically improvable uncertainties. Such a predictive theory will help exploit experiments that use nucleons and nuclei as laboratories for testing the Standard Model and its limitations. Examples include direct dark matter detection, neutrinoless double beta decay, and searches for permanent electric dipole moments of the neutron and atoms. It will also help connect QCD to the properties of cold neutron stars and hot supernova cores. We discuss how a quantitative bridge between QCD and the properties of nuclei and nuclear matter will require a synthesis of lattice QCD (especially as applied to two- and three-nucleon interactions), effective field theory, and ab initio methods for solving the nuclear many-body problem. While there are significant challenges that must be addressed in developing this triad of theoretical tools, the rapid advance of computing is accelerating progress. In particular, we focus this review on the anticipated advances from lattice QCD and how these advances will impact few-body effective theories of nuclear physics by providing critical input, such as constraints on unknown low-energy constants of the effective (field) theories. We also review particular challenges that must be overcome for the successful application of lattice QCD for low-energy nuclear physics. We describe progress in developing few-body effective (field) theories of nuclear physics, with an emphasis on HOBET, a non-relativistic effective theory of nuclear physics, which is less common in the literature. We use the examples of neutrinoless double beta decay and the nuclear-matter equation of state to illustrate how the coupling of lattice QCD to effective theory might impact our understanding of symmetries and exotic astrophysical environments.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2016

PandaX-III: Searching for Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay with High Pressure $^{136}$Xe Gas Time Projection Chambers

Searching for the Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay (NLDBD) is now regarded as the topmost promising technique to explore the nature of neutrinos after the discovery of neutrino masses in oscillation experiments. PandaX-III (Particle And Astrophysical Xenon Experiment III) will search for the NLDBD of $^{136}$Xe at the China Jin Ping underground Laboratory (CJPL). In the first phase of the experiment, a high pressure gas Time Projection Chamber (TPC) will contain 200 kg, 90% $^{136}$Xe enriched gas operated at 10 bar. Fine pitch micro-pattern gas detector (Microbulk Micromegas) will be used at both ends of the TPC for the charge readout with a cathode in the middle. Charge signals can be used to reconstruct tracks of NLDBD events and provide good energy and spatial resolution. The detector will be immersed in a large water tank to ensure $\sim$5 m of water shielding in all directions. The second phase, a ton-scale experiment, will consist of five TPCs in the same water tank, with improved energy resolution and better control over backgrounds.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2015

Neutrino-Induced Nucleosynthesis in Helium Shells of Early Core-Collapse Supernovae

We summarize our studies on neutrino-driven nucleosynthesis in He shells of early core-collapse supernovae with metallicities of $Z\lesssim 10^{-3}\,Z_\odot$. We find that for progenitors of $\sim 11$--$15\,{\rm M}_\odot$, the neutrons released by $^4{\rm He}(\barν_e,e^+n)^3{\rm H}$ in He shells can be captured to produce nuclei with mass numbers up to $A \sim 200$. This mechanism is sensitive to neutrino emission spectra and flavor oscillations. In addition, we find two new primary mechanisms for neutrino-induced production of $^{9}$Be in He shells. The first mechanism produces $^9$Be via $^7{\rm Li}(n,γ)^8{\rm Li}(n,γ)^9{\rm Li}(e^-\barν_e)^9{\rm Be}$ and relies on a low explosion energy for its survival. The second mechanism operates in progenitors of $\sim 8\,{\rm M}_\odot$, where $^9$Be can be produced directly via $^7{\rm Li}(^3{\rm H},n_0)^9{\rm Be}$ during the rapid expansion of the shocked He-shell material. The light nuclei $^7$Li and $^3$H involved in these mechanisms are produced by neutrino interactions with $^4$He. We discuss the implications of neutrino-induced nucleosynthesis in He shells for interpreting the elemental abundances in metal-poor stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

The second-phase development of the China JinPing underground Laboratory

During 2013-2015 an expansion of the China JinPing underground Laboratory (CJPL) will be undertaken along a main branch of a bypass tunnel in the JinPing tunnel complex. This second phase of CJPL will increase laboratory space to approximately 96,000 m^3, which can be compared to the existing CJPL-I volume of 4,000 m^3. One design configuration has eight additional hall spaces, each over 60 m long and approximately 12 m in width, with overburdens of about 2.4 km of rock, oriented parallel to and away from the main water transport and auto traffic tunnels. Concurrent with the excavation activities, planning is underway for dark matter and other rare-event detectors, as well as for geophysics/engineering and other coupled multi-disciplinary sensors. In the town meeting on 8 September, 2013 at Asilomar, CA, associated with the 13th International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics (TAUP), presentations and panel discussions addressed plans for one-ton expansions of the current CJPL germanium detector array of the China Darkmatter EXperiment (CDEX) collaboration and of the duel-phase xenon detector of the Panda-X collaboration, as well as possible new detector initiatives for dark matter studies, low-energy solar neutrino detection, neutrinoless double beta searches, and geoneutrinos. JinPing was also discussed as a site for a low-energy nuclear astrophysics accelerator. Geophysics/engineering opportunities include acoustic and micro-seismic monitoring of rock bursts during and after excavation, coupled-process in situ measurements, local, regional, and global monitoring of seismically induced radon emission, and electromagnetic signals.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2012

Model Independent Direct Detection Analyses

Following the construction of the general effective theory for dark matter direct detection in 1203.3542, we perform an analysis of the experimental constraints on the full parameter space of elastically scattering dark matter. We review the prescription for calculating event rates in the general effective theory and discuss the sensitivity of various experiments to additional nuclear responses beyond the spin-independent (SI) and spin-dependent (SD) couplings: an angular-momentum-dependent (LD) and spin-and-angular-momentum-dependent (LSD) response, as well as a distinction between transverse and longitudinal spin-dependent responses. We consider the effect of interference between different operators and in particular look at directions in parameter space where such cancellations lead to holes in the sensitivity of individual experiments. We explore the complementarity of different experiments by looking at the improvement of bounds when experiments are combined. Finally, our scan through parameter space shows that within the assumptions on models and on the experiments' sensitivity that we make, no elastically scattering dark matter explanation of DAMA is consistent with all other experiments at 90%, though we find points in parameter space that are ruled out only by about a factor of 2 in the cross-section.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2012

The Effective Field Theory of Dark Matter Direct Detection

We extend and explore the general non-relativistic effective theory of dark matter (DM) direct detection. We describe the basic non-relativistic building blocks of operators and discuss their symmetry properties, writing down all Galilean-invariant operators up to quadratic order in momentum transfer arising from exchange of particles of spin 1 or less. Any DM particle theory can be translated into the coefficients of an effective operator and any effective operator can be simply related to most general description of the nuclear response. We find several operators which lead to novel nuclear responses. These responses differ significantly from the standard minimal WIMP cases in their relative coupling strengths to various elements, changing how the results from different experiments should be compared against each other. Response functions are evaluated for common DM targets - F, Na, Ge, I, and Xe - using standard shell model techniques. We point out that each of the nuclear responses is familiar from past studies of semi-leptonic electroweak interactions, and thus potentially testable in weak interaction studies. We provide tables of the full set of required matrix elements at finite momentum transfer for a range of common elements, making a careful and fully model-independent analysis possible. Finally, we discuss embedding non-relativistic effective theory operators into UV models of dark matter.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2009

Laboratory Studies for Planetary Sciences. A Planetary Decadal Survey White Paper Prepared by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Working Group on Laboratory Astrophysics (WGLA)

The WGLA of the AAS (http://www.aas.org/labastro/) promotes collaboration and exchange of knowledge between astronomy and planetary sciences and the laboratory sciences (physics, chemistry, and biology). Laboratory data needs of ongoing and next generation planetary science missions are carefully evaluated and recommended in this white paper submitted by the WGLA to Planetary Decadal Survey.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2009

Roles and Needs of Laboratory Astrophysics in NASA's Space and Earth Science Mission

Laboratory astrophysics and complementary theoretical calculations are the foundations of astronomy and astrophysics and will remain so into the foreseeable future. The mission enabling impact of laboratory astrophysics ranges from the scientific conception stage for airborne and space-based observatories, all the way through to the scientific return of these missions. It is our understanding of the under-lying physical processes and the measurements of critical physical parameters that allows us to address fundamental questions in astronomy and astrophysics. In this regard, laboratory astrophysics is much like detector and instrument development at NASA. These efforts are necessary for the success of astronomical research being funded by NASA. Without concomitant efforts in all three directions (observational facilities, detector/instrument development, and laboratory astrophysics) the future progress of astronomy and astrophysics is imperiled. In addition, new developments in experimental technologies have allowed laboratory studies to take on a new role as some questions which previously could only be studied theoretically can now be addressed directly in the lab. With this in mind we, the members of the AAS Working Group on Laboratory Astrophysics (WGLA), have prepared this White Paper on the laboratory astrophysics infrastructure needed to maximize the scientific return from NASA's space and Earth sciences program.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2009

Laboratory Astrophysics and the State of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Laboratory astrophysics and complementary theoretical calculations are the foundations of astronomy and astrophysics and will remain so into the foreseeable future. The impact of laboratory astrophysics ranges from the scientific conception stage for ground-based, airborne, and space-based observatories, all the way through to the scientific return of these projects and missions. It is our understanding of the under-lying physical processes and the measurements of critical physical parameters that allows us to address fundamental questions in astronomy and astrophysics. In this regard, laboratory astrophysics is much like detector and instrument development at NASA, NSF, and DOE. These efforts are necessary for the success of astronomical research being funded by the agencies. Without concomitant efforts in all three directions (observational facilities, detector/instrument development, and laboratory astrophysics) the future progress of astronomy and astrophysics is imperiled. In addition, new developments in experimental technologies have allowed laboratory studies to take on a new role as some questions which previously could only be studied theoretically can now be addressed directly in the lab. With this in mind we, the members of the AAS Working Group on Laboratory Astrophysics, have prepared this State of the Profession Position Paper on the laboratory astrophysics infrastructure needed to ensure the advancement of astronomy and astrophysics in the next decade.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2007

A Mathematica script for harmonic oscillator nuclear matrix elements arising in semileptonic electroweak interactions

Semi-leptonic electroweak interactions in nuclei - such as βdecay, μcapture, charged- and neutral-current neutrino reactions, and electron scattering - are described by a set of multipole operators carrying definite parity and angular momentum, obtained by projection from the underlying nuclear charge and three-current operators. If these nuclear operators are approximated by their one-body forms and expanded in the nucleon velocity through order |\vec{p}|/M, where \vec{p} and M are the nucleon momentum and mass, a set of seven multipole operators is obtained. Nuclear structure calculations are often performed in a basis of Slater determinants formed from harmonic oscillator orbitals, a choice that allows translational invariance to be preserved. Harmonic-oscillator single-particle matrix elements of the multipole operators can be evaluated analytically and expressed in terms of finite polynomials in q^2, where q is the magnitude of the three-momentum transfer. While results for such matrix elements are available in tabular form, with certain restriction on quantum numbers, the task of determining the analytic form of a response function can still be quite tedious, requiring the folding of the tabulated matrix elements with the nuclear density matrix, and subsequent algebra to evaluate products of operators. Here we provide a Mathematica script for generating these matrix elements, which will allow users to carry out all such calculations by symbolic manipulation. This will eliminate the errors that may accompany hand calculations and speed the calculation of electroweak nuclear cross sections and rates. We illustrate the use of the new script by calculating the cross sections for charged- and neutral-current neutrino scattering in ^{12}C.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1997

Solar and Supernova Constraints on Cosmologically Interesting Neutrinos

The sun and core-collapse supernovae produce neutrino spectra that are sensitive to the effects of masses and mixing. Current results from solar neutrino experiments provide perhaps our best evidence for such new neutrino physics, beyond the standard electroweak model. I discuss this evidence as well as the limited possibilities for more conventional explanations. If the resolution of the solar neutrino problem is $ν_e \to ν_μ$ oscillations, standard seesaw estimates of $m_{ν_τ}$ suggest a cosmologically interesting third-generation neutrino. I discuss recent nucleosynthesis arguments that lead to an important constraint on this possibility.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1997

Dynamical Spin Response Functions for Heisenberg Ladders

We present the results of a numerical study of the 2 by L spin 1/2 Heisenberg ladder. Ground state energies and the singlet-triplet energy gaps for L = (4-14) and equal rung and leg interaction strengths were obtained in a Lanczos calculation and checked against earlier calculations by Barnes et al. (even L up to 12). A related moments technique is then employed to evaluate the dynamical spin response for L=12 and a range of rung to leg interaction strength ratios (0 - 5). We comment on two issues, the need for reorthogonalization and the rate of convergence, that affect the numerical utility of the moments treatment of response functions.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1996

A First-Landau-Level Laughlin/Jain Wave Function for the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect

We show that the introduction of a more general closed-shell operator allows one to extend Laughlin's wave function to account for the richer hierarchies (1/3, 2/5, 3/7 ...; 1/5, 2/9, 3/13, ..., etc.) found experimentally. The construction identifies the special hierarchy states with condensates of correlated electron clusters. This clustering implies a single-particle (ls)j algebra within the first Landau level (LL) identical to that of multiply filled LLs in the integer quantum Hall effect. The end result is a simple generalized wave function that reproduces the results of both Laughlin and Jain, without reference to higher LLs or projection.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1995

Implications of the GALLEX Source Experiment for the Solar Neutrino Problem

We argue that, prior to the recent GALLEX $^{51}$Cr source experiment, the excited state contributions to the $^{71}$Ga capture cross section for $^{51}$Cr and $^7$Be neutrinos were poorly constrained, despite forward-angle (p,n) measurements. We describe the origin of the uncertainties and estimate their extent. We explore the implications of the source experiment for solar neutrino capture in light of these uncertainties. A reanalysis of the $^7$Be and $^8$B flux constraints and MSW solutions of the solar neutrino puzzle is presented.

nucl-th↗