Variational approximations to exact solutions in shell-model valence spaces: Systematic calculations in the sd shell

We study the ability of variational approaches based on self-consistent mean-field and beyond-mean-field methods to reproduce exact energies and electromagnetic properties of the nuclei defined within the sd-shell valence space using the nontrivial USD Hamiltonian. In particular, Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB), variation after particle-number projection (VAPNP), and projected generator coordinate methods (PGCM) are compared to exact solutions obtained by the full diagonalization of the Hamiltonian. We analyze the role played by the proton-neutron (pn) mixing as well as the quadrupole and pairing degrees of freedom (including both isoscalar and isovector channels) in the description of the spectra of even-even, even-odd, and odd-odd nuclei in the whole sd shell.

Automated summary

The study focuses on the ability of variational approaches to reproduce exact energies and electromagnetic properties of nuclei in the sd-shell valence space using the nontrivial USD Hamiltonian. Different methods are compared and the roles of proton-neutron mixing, quadrupole, and pairing degrees of freedom are analyzed in describing the spectra of nuclei in the sd shell.