The 3He(\(\alpha \), \(\gamma \))7Be reaction in effective field theory

Abstract

We present a theoretical analysis of the ³He(\(\alpha \), \(\gamma \))⁷Be radiative capture reaction, using pionless effective field theory (EFT) at the leading order. What sets our approach apart is the unique combination of direct capture mechanisms and resonant processes that involve the \(7/2^{-}\) excited state of ⁷Be at 429 keV. By rigorously examining electromagnetic multipole transitions, we’ve managed to achieve a theoretical uncertainty of just 4.1% for the astrophysical S-factor. Our calculated value of \(S(0) = 0.511 \pm 0.021\text{ keV}\cdot \)b aligns impressively with the recommended experimental value of \(0.529 \pm 0.018\text{ keV}\cdot \)b. At the temperatures found in the solar core (\(T_{9} = 0.015\)), our reaction rate of \((9.2 \pm 0.4) \times 10^{3}\text{ cm}^{3}\text{ mol}^{-1}\text{ s}^{-1}\) helps to clear up some long-standing discrepancies in stellar models. Interestingly, our multipole decomposition shows a surprising persistence of M1 contributions (35.2% at resonance) that goes beyond what typical single-particle models would predict, underscoring the significance of two-body currents. The theoretical uncertainties we encountered are mainly due to EFT truncation errors (2.8%) and variations in low-energy constants (2.1%). These findings have direct implications for solar neutrino flux predictions and calculations of primordial lithium abundance.