2023/09/08 by Shimpei Endo, Endo, Shimpei, Junki Tanaka +1
Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #FOS: Physical sciences #Nuclear Experiment (nucl-ex) #Nuclear Theory (nucl-th) #Nuclear physics research studies #Quantum Gases (cond-mat.quant-gas) #Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamics
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2309.04131
openalex publication_date 2023/09/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Universality -- an essential concept in physics -- implies that different systems show the same phenomenon and can be described by a unified theory. A prime example of the universal quantum phenomena is the Efimov effect, which is the appearance of multiples of low-energy three-body bound states with progressively large sizes dictated by the discrete scale invariance. The Efimov effect, originally proposed in the nuclear physics context, has been observed in cold atoms and 4He molecules. The search for the Efimov effect in nuclear physics, however, has been a long-standing challenge owing to the difficulty in identifying ideal nuclides with a large s-wave scattering length; such nuclides can be unambiguously considered as Efimov states. Here, we propose a systematic method to identify nuclides that exhibit Efimov states in their excited states in the vicinity of the neutron separation threshold. These nuclei are characterised by their enormous low-energy neutron capture cross-sections, hence giant s-wave scattering length. Using our protocol, we identified 90Zr and 159Gd as novel candidate nuclides that show the Efimov states. They are well inside the valley of stability in the nuclear chart, and are suited for experimental realisation of the Efimov states in nuclear physics.