Abstract
We investigate the extent to which theories of collective motion can capture the physics that determines the nuclear matrix elements governing neutrinoless double- decay. To that end we calculate the matrix elements for a series of isotopes in the full shell, omitting no spin-orbit partners. With the inclusion of isoscalar pairing, a separable collective Hamiltonian that is derived from the shell model effective interaction reproduces the full shell-model matrix elements with good accuracy. A version of the generator coordinate method that includes the isoscalar pairing amplitude as a coordinate also reproduces the shell model results well, an encouraging result for theories of collective motion, which can include more single-particle orbitals than the shell model. We briefly examine heavier nuclei relevant for experimental double- decay searches, in which shell-model calculations with all spin-orbit partners are not feasible; our estimates suggest that isoscalar pairing also plays a significant role in these nuclei, though one we are less able to quantify precisely.
- Received 23 October 2015
- Revised 4 December 2015
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.93.014305
©2016 American Physical Society