Single- and two-nucleon momentum distributions for local chiral interactions

TL;DR

This paper uses quantum Monte Carlo methods with local chiral interactions to calculate and compare single- and two-nucleon momentum distributions in nuclei up to oxygen-16, showing good agreement with phenomenological models and experimental data.

Contribution

It provides new quantum Monte Carlo calculations of nucleon momentum distributions using local chiral interactions at next-to-next-to-leading order, extending previous phenomenological results.

Findings

Good agreement at low momentum with phenomenological potentials.

Confirmed large pn to pp pair ratio at high momentum in nuclei.

Results compatible with experimental data for two-nucleon distributions.

Abstract

We present quantum Monte Carlo calculations of the single- and two-nucleon momentum distributions in selected nuclei for $A\le16$. We employ local chiral interactions at next-to-next-to-leading order. We find good agreement at low momentum with the single-nucleon momentum distributions derived for phenomenological potentials. The same agreement is found for the integrated two-nucleon momentum distributions at low relative momentum $q$ and low center-of-mass momentum $Q$. We provide results for the two-nucleon momentum distributions as a function of both $q$ and $Q$. The large ratio of $pn$ to $pp$ pairs around $q=2\,\rm fm^{-1}$ for back-to-back $(Q=0)$ pairs is confirmed up to $^{16}$O, and results are compatible with those extracted from available experimental data.