Spin-triplet proton-neutron pair in spin-dipole excitations

Abstract

Background: Spin-triplet ($S=1$) proton-neutron (pn) pairing in nuclei has been under debate. It is well known that the dynamical pairing affects the nuclear matrix element of the Gamow-Teller (GT) transition and the double beta decay. Purpose: We investigate the effect of the pn-pair interaction in the $T=0, S=1$ channel on the low-lying spin-dipole (SD) transition. We then aim at clarifying the distinction of the role in between the SD and GT transitions. Method: We perform a three-body model calculation for the transition ${}^{80}\mathrm{Ni}\to{}^{80}\mathrm{Cu}$, where ${}^{78}\mathrm{Ni}$ is taken as a core. The strength of the pair interaction is varied to see the effect on the SD transition-strength distribution. To fortify the finding obtained by the three-body model, we employ the nuclear energy-density functional method for the SD transitions in several nuclei, where one can expect a strong effect. Results: The effect of the $S=1$ pn-pair interaction depends on the spatial overlap of the pn pair and the angular momentum of the valence nucleons; the higher the angular momentum of the orbitals, the more significant the effect. Conclusions: The dynamical $S=1$ pairing is effective even for SD states although the spatial overlap of the pn pair can be smaller than GT states. The SD transition involving high-$\ell$ orbitals with the same principal quantum number is strongly affected by the dynamical $S=1$ pairing.