The He-6 Beta Decay Spectrum With Quantum Monte Carlo Methods
Garrett King, Washington University in St. Louis
Precision beta decay spectrum measurements are a highly sensitive probe of beyond Standard Model (BSM) physics with the next generation of experiments aiming to constrain fundamental symmetries at the level currently allowed by experimental analyses. With permille accuracy being approached by current experiments, it is important to have comparably accurate theoretical predictions of low-energy nuclear physics observables within the Standard Model. Thus, one requires an accurate understanding of the underlying nuclear dynamics, as well as of corrections arising due to the small momentum dependence of the nuclear matrix elements. Such an understanding can be achieved by approaching the calculation of beta decay spectra from first-principles nuclear theory. One such first-principles approach is the application of quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods to exactly solve the many-body Schrödinger equation while retaining the full complexity of the nuclear system. In this poster, I will provide an overview of QMC calculations of the He-6 beta decay spectrum using the Norfolk family of local chiral interactions (NV2+3) and the consistent set of weak transition operators. Within the theoretical uncertainties that arise from the model dependence of the NV2+3 interactions and the accuracy of the many-body method, it will be possible to distinguish signatures of BSM physics at the level currently allowed from analyses of other experimental data.
Abstract Author(s): Garrett King