Combining Halo-EFT descriptions of nuclei and precise models of nuclear reactions

TL;DR

This paper discusses integrating Halo-EFT descriptions of nuclei with precise reaction models to better connect nuclear structure and reaction observables, exemplified through reactions involving 11Be.

Contribution

It demonstrates how Halo-EFT can be combined with reaction models to improve understanding of nuclear reactions involving halo nuclei.

Findings

Halo-EFT helps identify key nuclear-structure observables in reactions.

Combining Halo-EFT with reaction models bridges structure predictions to reaction data.

Application to 11Be reactions illustrates the approach's effectiveness.

Abstract

The clear separation of scales observed in halo nuclei between the extended halo and the compact core makes these exotic nuclei a perfect subject for Effective Field Theory (EFT). Such description leads to a systematic expansion of the core-halo Hamiltonian, which naturally orders the nuclear-structure observables. In this short review, I show the advantage there is to include Halo-EFT descriptions within precise models of reactions. It helps identifying the nuclear-structure observables that matter in the description of the reactions, and enables us to easily bridge predictions of nuclear-structure calculations to reaction observables. I illustrate this on breakup, transfer and knockout reactions with 11Be, the archetypical one-neutron halo nucleus.