I. J. Thompson

Four-body continuum-discretized coupled-channels calculations using a transformed harmonic oscillator basis

The scattering of a weakly bound three-body system by a target is discussed. A transformed harmonic oscillator basis is used to provide an appropriate discrete and finite basis for treating the continuum part of the spectrum of the projectile. The continuum-discretized coupled-channels framework is used for the scattering calculations. The formalism is applied to different reactions, {sup 6}He+{sup 12}C at 229.8 MeV, {sup 6}He+{sup 64}Zn at 10 and 13.6 MeV, and {sup 6}He+{sup 208}Pb at 22 MeV, induced by the Borromean nucleus {sup 6}He. Both the Coulomb and nuclear interactions with a target are taken into account.

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.

Four-body continuum-discretized coupled-channels calculations

The development of a continuum-bin scheme of discretization for three-body projectiles is necessary for studies of reactions of Borromean nuclei such as {sup 6}He within the continuum-discretized coupled-channels approach. Such a procedure, for constructing bin states on selected continuum energy intervals, is formulated and applied for the first time to reactions of a three-body projectile. The continuum representation uses the eigenchannel expansion of the three-body S matrix. The method is applied to the challenging case of the {sup 6}He+{sup 208}Pb reaction at 22 MeV, where an accurate treatment of both the Coulomb and the nuclear interactions with the target is necessary.

Low-temperature triple-alpha rate in a full three-body nuclear model.

A new three-body method is used to compute the rate of the triple-alpha capture reaction, which is the primary source of 12C in stars. In this Letter, we combine the Faddeev hyperspherical harmonics and the R-matrix method to obtain a full solution to the three-body α+α+α continuum. Particular attention is paid to the long-range effects caused by the pairwise Coulomb interactions. The new rate agrees with the Nuclear Astrophysics Compilation of Reaction rates for temperatures greater than 0.07 GK, but a large enhancement at lower temperature is found (≈10(12) at 0.02 GK). Our results are compared to previous calculations where additional approximations were made. We show that the new rate does not significantly change the evolution of stars around one solar mass. In particular, such stars still undergo a red-giant phase consistent with observations, and no significant differences are found in the final white dwarfs.

Three-body continuum discretization in a basis of transformed harmonic oscillator states

The inclusion of the continuum in the study of weakly bound three-body systems is discussed. A transformed harmonic oscillator basis is introduced to provide an appropriate discrete and finite basis for treating the continuum part of the spectrum. As examples of the application of the method the strength functions corresponding to several operators that couple the ground state to the continuum are investigated, for {sup 6}He, and compared with previous calculations. It is found that the energy moments of these distributions are accurately reproduced with a small basis set.

Coupled-Channel Calculation of Nonelastic Cross Sections Using a Density-Functional Structure Model

A microscopic calculation of reaction cross sections for nucleon-nucleus scattering was performed by coupling the elastic channel to all particle-hole excitations in the target and one-nucleon pickup channels. The particle-hole states may be regarded as doorway states through which the flux flows to more complicated configurations, and subsequently to long-lived compound nucleus resonances. Target excitations for (40,48)Ca, 58Ni, 90Zr, and 144Sm were described in a random-phase framework using a Skyrme functional. Reaction cross sections obtained agreed very well with experimental data and predictions of a fitted optical potential. Couplings between inelastic states were found to be negligible, while the pickup channels contribute significantly. For the first time observed absorptions are completely accounted for by explicit channel coupling, for incident energies between 10 and 40 MeV.

Astrophysical reaction rate for Be 9 formation within a three-body approach

The structure of the Borromean nucleus

Investigation of the triple-α reaction in a full three-body approach

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Multistep Coulomb and nuclear breakup of one-nucleon halo nuclei

Be (

Separable representation of proton-nucleus optical potentials

\alpha+\alpha+n