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arXiv:1912.07318 · Physical Review C

α -particle condensation: A nuclear quantum phase transition

J.-P. Ebran, M. Girod, Elias Khan, Raphaël-David Lasseri, Peter Schuck

Published Jul 6, 2020• 21 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

When the density of a nuclear system is decreased, homogeneous states undergo the so-called Mott transition towards clusterized states, e.g., $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ clustering, both in nuclei and in nuclear matter. Here we investigate such a quantum phase transition (QPT) by using microscopic energy density functional calculations with with the relativistic and the Gogny approaches on the diluted $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ nucleus. The evolution of the corresponding single-particle spectrum under dilution is studied, and a Mott-like transition is predicted at about 1/3 of the saturation density. A complementary study of quartet condensation and the corresponding macroscopic QPT is undertaken in infinite matter.

DOI
10.1103/physrevc.102.014305

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When the density of a nuclear system is decreased, homogeneous states undergo the so-called Mott transition towards clusterized states, e.g., \ensuremathα\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremathα clustering, both in nuclei and in nuclear matter. Here we investigate such a quantum phase transition (QPT) by using microscopic energy density functional calculations with with the relativistic and the Gogny approaches on the diluted 16O^{16}\mathrm{O}16O nucleus. The evolution of the corresponding single-particle spectrum under dilution is studied, and a Mott-like transition is predicted at about 1/3 of the saturation density. A complementary study of quartet condensation and the corresponding macroscopic QPT is undertaken in infinite matter.
How do protons and neutrons bind to form nuclei?This is the central question of ab initio nuclear structure theory.While the answer may seem as simple as the fact that nuclear forces are attractive, the full story is more complex and interesting.In this work we present numerical evidence from ab initio lattice simulations showing that nature is near a quantum phase transition, a zero-temperature transition driven by quantum fluctuations.Using lattice effective field theory, we perform Monte Carlo simulations for systems with up to twenty nucleons.For even and equal numbers of protons and neutrons, we discover a first-order transition at zero temperature from a Bose-condensed gas of alpha particles ( 4 He nuclei) to a nuclear liquid.Whether one has an alpha-particle gas or nuclear liquid is determined by the strength of the alpha-alpha interactions, and we show that the alpha-alpha interactions depend on the strength and locality of the nucleon-nucleon interactions.This insight should be useful in improving calculations of nuclear structure and important astrophysical reactions involving alpha capture on nuclei.Our findings also provide a tool to probe the structure of alpha cluster states such as the Hoyle state responsible for the production of carbon in red giant stars and point to a connection between nuclear states and the universal physics of bosons at large scattering length.
How do protons and neutrons bind to form nuclei? This is the central question of ab initio nuclear structure theory. While the answer may seem as simple as the fact that nuclear forces are attractive, the full story is more complex and interesting. In this work we present numerical evidence from ab initio lattice simulations showing that nature is near a quantum phase transition, a zero-temperature transition driven by quantum fluctuations. Using lattice effective field theory, we perform Monte Carlo simulations for systems with up to twenty nucleons. For even and equal numbers of protons and neutrons, we discover a first-order transition at zero temperature from a Bose-condensed gas of alpha particles (^{4}He nuclei) to a nuclear liquid. Whether one has an alpha-particle gas or nuclear liquid is determined by the strength of the alpha-alpha interactions, and we show that the alpha-alpha interactions depend on the strength and locality of the nucleon-nucleon interactions. This insight should be useful in improving calculations of nuclear structure and important astrophysical reactions involving alpha capture on nuclei. Our findings also provide a tool to probe the structure of alpha cluster states such as the Hoyle state responsible for the production of carbon in red giant stars and point to a connection between nuclear states and the universal physics of bosons at large scattering length.
\ensuremath{\alpha}-particle (quartet) condensation in homogeneous spin-isospin symmetric nuclear matter is investigated. The usual Thouless criterion for the critical temperature is extended to the quartet case. The in-medium four-body problem is strongly simplified by the use of a momentum-projected mean-field ansatz for the quartet. The self-consistent single-particle wave functions are shown and discussed for various values of the density at the critical temperature. Excellent agreement of the critical temperature with a numerical solution of the Faddeev-Yakubovsky equation is obtained.
We report on recent progress in understanding pairing phenomena in low-density nuclear matter at small and moderate isospin asymmetry. A rich phase diagram has been found comprising various superfluid phases that include a homogeneous and phase-separated BEC phase of deuterons at low density and a homogeneous BCS phase, an inhomogeneous LOFF phase, and a phase-separated BCS phase at higher densities. The transition from the BEC phases to the BCS phases is characterized in terms of the evolution, from strong to weak coupling, of the condensate wavefunction and the second moment of its density distribution in r-space. We briefly discuss approaches to higher-order clustering in low-density nuclear matter.
Nonrelativistic nuclear matter is considered as a special example of a many-particle system. Quantum statistical methods are applied to treat the formation and dissolution of bound states in dense matter. The formation of quantum condensates is investigated. Special aspects are the transition from Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) to Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) pairing as well as the occurrence of quartetting. Consequences for the structure of nuclei are compared with experimental data. Exercises to illustrate the main features of in-medium effects in nuclear matter are given.
Abstract Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) represent a quickly developing subject of theoretical and experimental research. Nuclear physics contributed to the formation of the QPT concept in the 1970s and remains an area where new viewpoints and original approaches to criticality in many-body systems can be created. In this review, we present a comprehensible introduction to the subject, with an emphasis on the role of nuclear physics, and point out some specific features of QPTs in the systems that exhibit an effective separation of some collective degrees of freedom. The focus on collectivity, which stems from the nuclear context, is an essential ingredient of our treatise. It leads to some consequences that find application in nuclei as well as in a wide spectrum of non-nuclear systems.