Lepton-Nucleus Interactions with Quantum Monte Carlo Calculations

Nuclei are self-bound, quantum many-body systems that exhibit a rich array of structural effects. The interactions of leptons – like electrons and neutrinos – with the nucleus can help us to understand the structure of these systems. In this talk, I will discuss how I model nuclei with quantum Monte Carlo methods that solve the many-body Schroedinger Equation in terms of proton and neutron degrees of freedom. With these techniques, it is also possible to study the interactions of nuclei with leptons. I will discuss how these processes give us insight into the structure of the nucleus. Additionally, I will discuss a particular decay – He-6 beta decay – as an example of where a controlled model of nuclear structure can allow us to study possible new physics scenarios.