α-Clustering in atomic nuclei from first principles with statistical learning and the Hoyle state character.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35477704.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-022-29582-0 and PMC identifier 9046222.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
A long-standing crucial question with atomic nuclei is whether or not α clustering occurs there. An α particle (helium-4 nucleus) comprises two protons and two neutrons, and may be the building block of some nuclei. This is a very beautiful and fascinating idea, and is indeed plausible because the α particle is particularly stable with a large binding energy. However, direct experimental evidence has never been provided. Here, we show whether and how α(-like) objects emerge in atomic nuclei, by means of state-of-the-art quantum many-body simulations formulated from first principles, utilizing supercomputers including K/Fugaku. The obtained physical quantities exhibit agreement with experimental data. The appearance and variation of the α clustering are shown by utilizing density profiles for the nuclei beryllium-8, -10 and carbon-12. With additional insight by statistical learning, an unexpected crossover picture is presented for the Hoyle state, a critical gateway to the birth of life.