Compton Scattering on Light Nuclei

TL;DR

This paper reviews theoretical approaches to Compton scattering on light nuclei, focusing on chiral effective theory calculations to help extract neutron polarizabilities from experimental data.

Contribution

It presents advanced chiral effective theory calculations for Compton scattering on light nuclei, including nucleons, pions, and the Δ-isobar, to improve neutron polarizability extraction.

Findings

Calculations include nucleons, pions, and Δ-isobar effects.

Results suggest combined experimental and theoretical efforts can determine neutron polarizabilities.

Unpolarized and polarization observables provide valuable insights.

Abstract

Compton scattering on light nuclei ($A=2,3$) has emerged as an effective avenue to search for signatures of neutron polarizabilities, both spin--independent and spin--dependent ones. In this discussion I will focus on the theoretical aspect of Compton scattering on light nuclei; giving first a brief overview and therafter concentrating on our Compton scattering calculations based on Chiral effective theory at energies of the order of pion mass. These elastic $\gamma$d and $\gamma$He-3 calculations include nucleons, pions as the basic degrees of freedom. I will also discuss $\gamma$d results where the $\Delta$-isobar has been included explicitly. Our results on unpolarized and polarization observables suggest that a combination of experiments and further theoretical efforts will provide an extraction of the neutron polarizabilities.