Physics Spring 2025 Colloquium: Short-range correlations in nuclear systems

Ronen Weiss, Washington University in St. Louis

When

3 – 4 p.m., Jan. 31, 2025

Where

Abstract: An accurate description of short-range physics is a significant challenge in the study of strongly interacting quantum many-body systems. In nuclear physics, large short-range correlations (SRCs) hinder the use of different numerical methods for obtaining a complete picture of nuclear systems and supporting beyond-Standard-Model searches. Nuclear SRCs have been studied extensively in the last decades using both large momentum transfer quasi-elastic reactions and ab-initio calculations. In this talk I will present an asymptotic theory of SRCs in quantum many-body systems, providing a systematic framework for analyzing experimental data and numerical calculations and for utilizing our understanding of SRC properties to make progress in the description of nuclei. I will show how it captures quantitatively the impact of correlated pairs on various nuclear quantities, and how it reformed the way experiments are analyzed and designed. I will also discuss first results regarding the properties of triplets and the calculation of matrix elements for neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. I will highlight connections to other many-body systems and the universal nature of SRCs.

3:00 PM in PAS 201 / Zoom Meeting https://arizona.zoom.us/j/81283840289

Refreshments in PAS 218, 2:30PM