Abstract: The branching ratios of K- absorption in nuclear matter are theoretically investigated in order to understand the mechanism of K- absorption into nuclei. For this purpose mesonic and nonmesonic absorption potentials are evaluated as functions of nuclear density, the kaon momentum, and energy from one- and two-body K- self-energy, respectively. By using a chiral unitary approach for the s-wave (K) over bar N amplitude we find that both the mesonic and nonmesonic absorption potentials are dominated by the Lambda(1405) contributions. The fraction of the mesonic and nonmesonic absorptions are evaluated to be respectively about 70% and 30% at the saturation density almost independently of the kaon momentum. We also observe different behavior of the branching ratios to pi(+)Sigma(-) and pi(-)Sigma(+) channels in mesonic absorption due to the interference between Lambda(1405) and the I = 1 nonresonant background, which is consistent with experimental results. The nonmesonic absorption ratios [Lambda p]/[Sigma(0)p] and [Lambda n]/[Sigma(0)n] are about unity while [Sigma(+)n]/[Sigma(0)p] and [Sigma(-) p]/[Sigma(0)n] are about 2 due to the Lambda(1405) dominance in absorption. Taking into account the kaon momenta and energies, the absorption potentials become weaker due to the downward shift of the initial K- N two-body energy, but this does not drastirally change the nonmesonic fraction. The Sigma(1385) contribution in the p-wave (K) over bar N amplitude is examined and found to be very small compared to the Lambda(1405) contribution in slow K- absorption.

Abstract: Given the importance of Gamow-Teller (GT) transitions in nuclear structure and astrophysical nuclear processes, we have studied T-z = +3/2 -> +1/2, GT transitions starting from the Ti-47 nucleus in the (He-3, t) charge-exchange reaction at 0 degrees and at an intermediate incident energy of 140 MeV/nucleon. The experiments were carried out at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics (RCNP), Osaka, using the high-resolution facility with a high-dispersion beam line and the Grand-Raiden spectrometer. With an energy resolution of 20 keV, individual GT transitions were observed and GT strength was derived for each state populated up to an excitation energy (E-x) of 12.5 MeV. The GT strength was widely distributed from low excitation energy up to 12.5 MeV, where we had to stop the analysis because of the high level density. The distribution of the GT strengths was compared with the results of shell model calculations using the GXPF1 interaction. The calculations could reproduce the experimental GT distributions well. The GT transitions from the ground state of Ti-47 and the M1 transitions from the isobaric analog state in V-47 to the same low-lying states in V-47 are analogous. It was found that the ratios of GT transition strengths to the ground state, the 0.088-MeV state, and the 0.146-MeV state are similar to the ratios of the strengths of the analogous M1 transitions from the isobaric analog state (IAS) to these states. The measured distribution of the GT strengths was also compared with those starting from the T-z = +3/2 nucleus K-41 to the T-z = +1/2 nucleus Ca-41.

Abstract: With the aim of achieving a better and more complete understanding of neutrino interactions with nuclear targets, the coherent production of charged kaons induced by neutrinos and antineutrinos is investigated in the energy range of some of the current neutrino experiments. We follow a microscopic approach which, at the nucleon level, incorporates the most important mechanisms allowed by the chiral-symmetry-breaking pattern of QCD. The distortion of the outgoing K ((K) over bar) is taken into account by solving the Klein-Gordon equation with realistic optical potentials. Angular and momentum distributions, as well as the energy and nuclear dependence of the total cross section, are studied.

Abstract: The electron capture decay branch of In-116 has been measured to be [2.46 +/- 0.44(stat.) +/- 0.39(syst.)] x 10(-4) using Penning trap-assisted decay spectroscopy. The corresponding Gamow-Teller transition strength is shown to be compatible with the most recent value extracted from the (p, n) charge-exchange reaction, providing a resolution to longstanding discrepancies. This transition can now be used as a reliable benchmark for nuclear-structure calculations of the matrix element for the neutrinoless double-beta decay of Cd-116 and other nuclides.

Abstract: We study the effects of the tensor force, present in modern effective nucleon-nucleon interactions, in the spin instability of nuclear and neutron matter. Stability conditions of the system against certain very low energy excitation modes are expressed in terms of Landau parameters. It is shown that in the spin case, the stability conditions are equivalent to the condition derived from the spin susceptibility, which is obtained as the zero-frequency and long-wavelength limit of the spin response function calculated in the random phase approximation. Zero-range forces of the Skyrme type and finite-range forces of M3Y and Gogny type are analyzed. It is shown that for the Skyrme forces considered, the tensor effects are sizable and tend to increase the spin instability, which appears at smaller densities than in the case that the tensor is not taken into account. On the contrary, the tensor contribution of finite-range forces to the spin susceptibility is small or negligible for both isospin channels of symmetric nuclear matter as well as for neutron matter. A comparison with the spin susceptibility provided by realistic interactions is also presented.