Calvin W. Johnson

Solar fusion cross-sections

We review and analyze the available information on the nuclear-fusion cross sections that are most important for solar energy generation and solar neutrino production. We provide best values for the low-energy cross-section factors and, wherever possible, estimates of the uncertainties. We also describe the most important experiments and calculations that are required in order to improve our knowledge of solar fusion rates.

Generalized seniority from random Hamiltonians

We investigate the generic pairing properties of shell-model many-body Hamiltonians drawn from ensembles of random two-body matrix elements. Many features of pairing that are commonly attributed to the interaction are in fact seen in a large part of the ensemble space. Not only do the spectra show evidence of pairing with favored J50 ground states and an energy gap, but the relationship between ground-state wave functions of neighboring nuclei shows signatures of pairing as well. Matrix elements of pair creationannihilation operators between ground states tend to be strongly enhanced. Furthermore, the same or similar pair operators connect several ground states along an isotopic chain. This algebraic structure is reminiscent of the generalized seniority model. Thus pairing may be encoded to a certain extent in the Fock space connectivity of the interacting shell model even without specific features of the interaction required.

Computational nuclear quantum many-body problem: The UNEDF project

The UNEDF project was a large-scale collaborative effort that applied high-performance computing to the nuclear quantum many-body problem. The primary focus of the project was on constructing, validating, and applying an optimized nuclear energy density functional, which entailed a wide range of pioneering developments in microscopic nuclear structure and reactions, algorithms, high-performance computing, and uncertainty quantification. UNEDF demonstrated that close associations among nuclear physicists, mathematicians, and computer scientists can lead to novel physics outcomes built on algorithmic innovations and computational developments. This review showcases a wide range of UNEDF science results to illustrate this interplay.

Spin structure of many-body systems with two-body random interactions

We investigate the spin structure of many-fermion systems with a spin-conserving two-body random interaction. We find a strong dominance of spin-0 ground states and considerable correlations between energies and wave functions of low-lying states with different spin, but no indication of pairing. The spectral densities exhibit spin-dependent shapes and widths, and depend on the particle density as well as on the relative strengths of the spin-0 and spin-1 couplings in the two-body random matrix. The spin structure of low-lying states can largely be explained analytically.

Gamow-Teller transitions and deformation in the proton neutron random phase approximation

We investigate reliability of Gamow-Teller transition strengths computed in the proton-neutron random phase approximation, comparing with exact results from diagonalization in full

Mixed-mode shell-model theory for nuclear structure studies

0\ensuremath{\hbar}\ensuremath{\omega}

SU(3) symmetry breaking in lower fp shell nuclei

shell-model spaces. By allowing the Hartree-Fock state to be deformed, we obtain good results for a wide variety of nuclides, even though we do not project onto good angular momentum. We suggest that deformation is as important or more so than pairing for Gamow-Teller transitions.

Factorization in large-scale many-body calculations☆

We introduce a shell-model theory that combines traditional spherical states, which yield a diagonal representation of the usual single-particle interaction, with collective configurations that track deformations, and test the validity of this mixed-mode, oblique basis shell-model scheme on

Comparison of Gamow-Teller strengths in the random phase approximation

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Isoscalar and isovector pairing in a formalism of quartets

Mg. The correct binding energy (within 2% of the full-space result) as well as low-energy configurations that have greater than 90% overlap with full-space results are obtained in a space that spans less than 10% of the full space. The results suggest that a mixed-mode shell-model theory may be useful in situations where competing degrees of freedom dominate the dynamics and full-space calculations are not feasible.