Projected shell model for Gamow-Teller transitions in heavy, deformed nuclei

Abstract

Abstract. Calculations of Gamow-Teller (GT) transition rates for heavy, deformed nuclei, which are useful input for nuclear astrophysics studies, are usually done with the quasiparticle random-phase approximation. We propose a shell-model method by applying the Projected Shell Model (PSM) based on deformed bases. With this method, it is possible to perform a state-by-state calculation for nuclear matrix elements for β-decay and electron-capture in heavy nuclei. Taking β − decay from 168 Dy to 168 Ho as an example, we show that the known experimental B(GT) from the ground state of the mother nucleus to the low-lying states of the daughter nucleus could be well described. Moreover, strong transitions to high-lying states are predicted to occur, which may considerably enhance the total decay rates once these nuclei are exposed to hot stellar environments.