The triton lifetime from nuclear lattice effective field theory

• Published in: Physics letters. B Vol. 859; p. 139086
• Main Authors: Elhatisari, Serdar, Hildenbrand, Fabian, Meißner, Ulf-G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.12.2024
• ISSN: 0370-2693
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2024.139086

In this work, we present a calculation of the triton β-decay lifetime using Nuclear Lattice Effective Field Theory (NLEFT) at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order in the chiral expansion. By incorporating a non-perturbative treatment of the higher-order corrections, we achieve consistent predictions for the Fermi and Gamow-Teller matrix elements, which are crucial for determining the triton lifetime. Our results are consistent with earlier theoretical calculations, confirming the robustness of our approach. This study marks a significant advancement in the systematic application of NLEFT to nuclear β-decay processes, paving the way for future high-precision calculations in more complex nuclear systems. Additionally, we discuss potential improvements to our approach, including the explicit inclusion of two-pion exchange mechanisms and the refinement of three-nucleon forces. These developments are essential for extending the applicability of NLEFT to a broader range of nuclear phenomena, including neutrinoless double-β decay.