Gamow-Teller transitions and deformation in the proton-neutron random phase approximation

Abstract

We investigate reliability of Gamow-Teller transition strengths computed in the proton-neutron random phase approximation, comparing with exact results from diagonalization in full $0\hslash \omega$ shell-model spaces. By allowing the Hartree-Fock state to be deformed, we obtain good results for a wide variety of nuclides, even though we do not project onto good angular momentum. We suggest that deformation is as important or more so than pairing for Gamow-Teller transitions.

Comments: 8 pages, 5 figures; added references, clarified discussion with regards to stability