Electromagnetic structure of A=2 and 3 nuclei in chiral effective field theory

TL;DR

This paper provides comprehensive chiral effective field theory predictions for electromagnetic properties of A=2 and 3 nuclei, resolving previous discrepancies and achieving excellent agreement with experimental data across a wide range of momentum transfers.

Contribution

It resolves differences in chiral EFT derivations of nuclear operators and offers a complete set of predictions for nuclear structure functions and form factors using advanced wave functions and Monte Carlo methods.

Findings

Excellent agreement with experimental data up to q<2.5 1/fm

Predictions extend to q~6 1/fm for some observables

Provides a complete analysis of electromagnetic properties of light nuclei

Abstract

The objectives of the present work are twofold. The first is to address and resolve some of the differences present in independent, chiral-effective-field-theory (\chiEFT) derivations up to one loop, recently appeared in the literature, of the nuclear charge and current operators. The second objective is to provide a complete set of \chiEFT predictions for the structure functions and tensor polarization of the deuteron, for the charge and magnetic form factors of 3He and 3H, and for the charge and magnetic radii of these few-nucleon systems. The calculations use wave functions derived from high-order chiral two- and three-nucleon potentials and Monte Carlo methods to evaluate the relevant matrix elements. Predictions based on conventional potentials in combination with \chiEFT charge and current operators are also presented. There is excellent agreement between theory and experiment for all these observables for momentum transfers up to q< 2.0-2.5 (1/fm); for a subset of them, this agreement extends to momentum transfers as high as q~5-6 (1/fm). A complete analysis of the results is provided.