Quantifying alpha clustering in the ground states of 16-O and 20-Ne

TL;DR

This study quantitatively analyzes alpha-cluster correlations in the ground states of 16-O and 20-Ne, confirming their dominance and providing new constraints relevant for nuclear astrophysics.

Contribution

It offers the first quantitative benchmark of alpha-clustering in these nuclei and introduces a model-independent constraint on the alpha asymptotic normalization coefficient.

Findings

Ground states are dominated by alpha-cluster correlations.

Provides a new model-independent constraint on alpha asymptotic normalization.

Implications for the 12-C(alpha,gamma)16-O reaction in astrophysics.

Abstract

Understanding the role of multi-nucleon correlations in the structure of light nuclei is at the forefront of modern nuclear science. In this letter, we present a quantitative benchmark study of alpha-cluster correlations in the ground states of 16-O and 20-Ne. Experimental data provide direct evidence that the wave functions of the ground states of 16-O and 20-Ne are dominated by alpha-cluster correlations, in agreement with the predictions of sophisticated nuclear structure models. We also provide a new model-independent constraint for the alpha asymptotic normalization coefficient of the 16-O ground state and discuss the implications of these findings on the 12-C(alpha,gamma)16-O reaction, which is of critical importance for nuclear astrophysics.