[en] The response of the atomic nucleus to gamma radiation provides crucial information about its structure and the forces acting between constituent nucleons. To access these excited modes, within the framework of superfluid nuclear density functional theory, the linear response is one of the commonly used methods. Traditionally, the linear response, or the quasiparticle random phase approximation (QRPA), has been formulated in the matrix form. However, the matrix QRPA becomes computationally very demanding with deformed nuclei, resulting usually truncations in the used model space. To circumvent the large CPU and memory cost of the matrix QRPA, the finite amplitude method (FAM) solves the QRPA problem iteratively. We have recently developed a FAM-QRPA module which allows to handle non-axial multipole modes, without any truncations. This work demonstrated the first practical application of the iterative QRPA method for deformed superfluid nuclei, with an arbitrary multipole transition operator. As an application of the FAM-QRPA, we have done a systematic computation of the nuclear photo absorption cross sections for the heavy rare-earth nuclei. The computed results show that for isotopes heavier than erbium, there is some deficiency in the cross section, when compared to experimental data. A simple modification of the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule enhancement factor cannot cure this deficiency. This document is composed of an abstract and the slides of the presentation. (author)

No abstract available

[en] We have investigated the nuclear-structure details of the cross sections for the elastic scattering of Lightest Supersymmetric Particles (LSPs) from the promising dark-matter detectors ⁷¹Ga, ⁷³Ge and ¹²⁷I. The associated LSP detection sensitivities have been obtained by a folding procedure for several recently proposed SUSY models with different scalar and axial-vector characteristics. For the nuclear problem, a realistic microscopic Hamiltonian has been used within realistic model spaces. The diagonalization of this Hamiltonian has been done by using the Microscopic Quasiparticle-Phonon Model (MQPM), suitable for description of spectroscopic properties of medium-heavy and heavy odd-even nuclei. The formalism has been designed to incorporate in a trivial fashion parameter sets of any other SUSY-model scenarios

[en] A reliable theoretical description of double-beta-decay processes needs a possibility to test the involved virtual transitions against experimental data. Unfortunately, only the lowest virtual transition can be probed by the traditional electron capture of β^- decay experiments. In this article we propose that calculated amplitudes for many virtual transitions can be probed by experiments measuring rates of ordinary muon capture (OMC) to the relevant intermediate states. The first results form such experiments are expected to appear soon. As an example, we discuss the ββ decays of ⁷⁶Ge and ¹⁰⁶Cd and the corresponding OMC for the ⁷⁶Se and ¹⁰⁶Cd nuclei in the framework of the proton-neutron QRPA with realistic interactions. It is found that the OMC observables, just like the 2νββ-decay amplitudes, strongly depend on the strength of the particle-particle part of the proton-neutron interaction. (author)

[en] The two-neutrino double-beta decays of ⁴⁶Ca and ⁴⁸Ca by using the nuclear shell model with well tested two-body interactions are discussed. The ordinary muon-capture (OMC) reaction on the final nuclei, ⁴⁶Ti and ⁴⁸Ti, of these decays is also discussed. The OMC leads to the virtual states of the intermediate nuclei, ⁴⁶Sc and ⁴⁸Sc, in these double-beta decays

[en] We discuss the two-neutrino double-beta decays of ⁴⁶Ca and ⁴⁸Ca by using the nuclear shell model with well-tested two-body interactions. We also discuss the ordinary muon-capture (OMC) reaction on the final nuclei, ⁴⁶Ti and ⁴⁸Ti, of these decays. The OMC leads to the virtual states of the intermediate nuclei, ⁴⁶Sc and ⁴⁸Sc, in these double-beta decays

[en] We discuss the non-radiative μ^- capture (i.e. ordinary muon capture, OMC) in light nuclei in terms of the nuclear shell model, and in the medium- and heavy-mass nuclei in terms of the quasiparticle random-phase approximation. A new probe of the double-beta decay matrix elements, namely the use of the OMC to states of the intermediate nucleus of the double beta decay, is also addressed. (author)

[en] Nuclear matrix elements for the neutrinoless double beta minus (0νβ^-β^-) decays of all interesting (nearly) spherical nuclei are calculated for the light-neutrino exchange mechanism by using the proton-neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation (pnQRPA) with a realistic nucleon-nucleon force. The finite size of a nucleon, the higher-order terms of nucleonic weak currents, and the nucleon-nucleon short-range correlations (s.r.c) are taken into account. The s.r.c. are computed by the use of the unitary correlation operator method (UCOM), superior to the traditional Jastrow method. The UCOM computed matrix elements turn out to be considerably larger than the Jastrow computed ones

[en] The two-neutrino double beta decays of nuclei ³⁶ Ar, ⁴⁶ Ca, ⁴⁸ Ca, and ⁵⁰ Cr have been studied in the framework of the nuclear shell model. Well-established, fitted two-body interaction matrix elements have been used in the study. The structure of the few lowest 1⁺ intermediate states in the two-neutrino double beta decays of calcium isotopes has been found to play a significant role. (Author) 13 refs., 1 tab., 8 figs

[en] The neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of atomic nuclei plays a key role in the search for massive Majorana neutrinos and their mass scale. To extract the necessary information from the measured data the nuclear-structure effects have to be accounted for. The nuclear matrix elements (NME's) for the 0νββ decays crystallize these effects, and the calculation of these matrix elements has become of paramount importance in the community of neutrino physics. In this article we discuss the NME's for the light-neutrino exchange mechanism, computed by using the proton-neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation (pnQRPA). Recent developments in this field relate to the handling of the nucleon-nucleon short-range correlations in the NME's and independent experimental probes of the wave functions relevant for the NME's