The impact of emergent symmetries on beta decay in light nuclei

Approximate symmetries emerge in ab initio predictions of light nuclei, for which the only input is the inter-nucleon interaction. These symmetries include Elliott's SU(3) symmetry, which is associated with nuclear collective behavior and deformation, and Wigner's SU(4) symmetry, related to spin and isospin degrees of freedom. The emergence of these symmetries can significantly impact beta decay transition rates. This impact can be understood in terms of approximate selection rules associated with these symmetries.

Of particular interest is the effect of these approximate selection rules on isobaric chains involving intruder states and parity inversion. In this talk, I will discuss the emergence of Elliott’s SU(3) symmetry and Wigner’s SU(4) symmetry in A=8 and A=11 nuclei and the effects of these symmetries on beta decay transitions along these isobaric chains.