No Arabic abstract
The theoretical approach to a sequential heavy ion double charge exchange reaction is presented. A brief introduction into the formal theory of second-order nuclear reactions and their application to Double Single Charge Exchange (DSCE) reactions by distorted wave theory is given, thereby completing the theoretical background to our recent work [1]. Formally, the DSCE reaction amplitudes are shown to be separable into superpositions of distortion factors, accounting for initial and final state ion--ion interactions, and nuclear matrix elements. A broad space is given to the construction of nuclear DSCE response functions on the basis of polarization propagator theory. The nuclear response tensors resemble the nuclear matrix elements of $2 ubetabeta$ decay in structure but contain in general a considerable more complex multipole and spin structure. The QRPA theory is used to derive explicit expressions for nuclear matrix elements (NMEs). The differences between the NME of the first and the second interaction vertexes in a DSCE reaction is elucidated. Reduction schemes for the transition form factors are discussed by investigating the closure approximation and the momentum structure of form factors. DSCE unit strength cross sections are derived.
Recent progress in nuclear-structure theory has been dramatic. I describe recent and future applications of ab initio calculations and the generator coordinate method to double-beta decay. I also briefly discuss the old and vexing problem of the renormalization of the weak nuclear axial-vector coupling constant in medium and plans to resolve it.
We estimate the expected errors of nuclear matrix elements coming from the uncertainty on the NN interaction. We use a coarse grained (GR) interaction fitted to NN scattering data, with several prescriptions for the long-part of the interaction, including one pion exchange and chiral two-pion exchange interactions.
The nuclear matrix elements (NMEs) for two-neutrino double-beta decay ($2 ubetabeta$) are studied in the framework of the relativistic nuclear energy density functional. The properties of nuclei involved in the decay are obtained using relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov model and relevant nuclear transitions are described using the relativistic proton-neutron quasiparticle random phase approximation (pn-ReQRPA). Three effective interactions have been employed, including density-dependent meson-exchange and point coupling interactions, supplemented with nuclear pairing correlations. The $2 ubetabeta$ matrix elements and half-lives are calculated for several nuclides experimentally known to undergo this kind of decay: $^{48}$Ca, $^{76}$Ge, $^{82}$Se, $^{96}$Zr, $^{100}$Mo, $^{116}$Cd, and $^{128}$Te. The model dependence of the NMEs and their sensitivity on the isoscalar pairing strength $V_0$ is investigated, and the optimized value of this parameter is determined. The results of the present study represent an important benchmark for the future applications of the relativistic framework in studies of neutrinoless double-beta decay.
Accurate nuclear matrix elements (NMEs) for neutrinoless double beta decays of candidate nuclei are important for the design and interpretation of future experiments. Significant progress has been made in the modeling of these NMEs from first principles. The NME for 48Ca shows a good agreement among three different ab initio calculations starting from the same nuclear interaction constructed within the chiral EFT and the same decay operator. These studies open the door to ab initio calculations of the matrix elements for the decay of heavier nuclei such as 76Ge, 130Te, and 136Xe. The ultimate goal is the computation of NMEs in many-body calculations with controllable approximations, using nuclear interactions and weak transition operators derived consistently from chiral EFT. We are expecting more progress towards this goal in the near future.
A new generation of neutrinoless double beta decay experiments with improved sensitivity is currently under design and construction. They will probe inverted hierarchy region of the neutrino mass pattern. There is also a revived interest to the resonant neutrinoless double-electron capture, which has also a potential to probe lepton number conservation and to investigate the neutrino nature and mass scale. The primary concern are the nuclear matrix elements. Clearly, the accuracy of the determination of the effective Majorana neutrino mass from the measured 0 ubetabeta-decay half-life is mainly determined by our knowledge of the nuclear matrix elements. We review recent progress achieved in the calculation of 0 ubetabeta and 0 u ECEC nuclear matrix elements within the quasiparticle random phase approximation. A considered self-consistent approach allow to derive the pairing, residual interactions and the two-nucleon short-range correlations from the same modern realistic nucleon-nucleon potentials. The effect of nuclear deformation is taken into account. A possibility to evaluate 0 ubetabeta-decay matrix elements phenomenologically is discussed.