The Nuclear Contact Formalism - the Deuteron Channel

TL;DR

This paper extends the nuclear contact formalism to the deuteron channel, analyzing short-range correlations and asymptotic behaviors of neutron-proton pairs with coupled s and d waves, using models and realistic forces.

Contribution

It generalizes the contact formalism to coupled channels like the deuteron, deriving the asymptotic behavior of correlated pairs with a 2x2 contact matrix.

Findings

In strong coupling, the two asymptotic solutions degenerate into a single wave function.

The formalism is validated using schematic models and realistic nuclear forces.

Provides insights into short-range correlations in nuclear physics.

Abstract

The contact formalism, devised to elucidate the important role of short-range correlations, was recently generalized for systems with coupled channels, such as the deuteron channel, where s and d waves are coupled into a $J=1$ state. The coupling of the two channels implies two independent asymptotic solutions and results a 2x2 contact matrix. For a strong coupling, with appropriate boundary conditions, such as in nuclear physics, the two solutions degenerate into a single asymptotic wave function. Here, we explore the asymptotic behavior of the correlated neutron-proton pairs in the deuteron channel using both schematic models and realistic nuclear forces.