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    Symmetry restoration in the axially deformed proton-neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation for nuclear β decay: The effect of angular-momentum projection

    R. N. Chen1,2,*, Y. N. Zhang3,†, J. M. Yao1,2,‡, and J. Engel4,§

    • 1School of Physics and Astronomy, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519082, People's Republic of China
    • 2Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Metrology and Sensing, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519082, People's Republic of China
    • 3Sino-French Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519082, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
    • 4Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516-3255, USA

    • *Contact author: chenrn6@mail2.sysu.edu.cn
    • †Contact author: zhangyn226@mail.sysu.edu.cn
    • ‡Contact author: yaojm8@sysu.edu.cn
    • §Contact author: engelj@physics.unc.edu
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    Phys. Rev. C 113, 034311 – Published 11 March, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/lk7x-bqdf

    Abstract

    We examine the effects of symmetry restoration on nuclear β decay within the axially deformed proton-neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation (QRPA). We employ the proton-neutron finite-amplitude method (pnFAM) to compute transition amplitudes, and perform angular-momentum projection both after variation and after the QRPA to restore rotational symmetry. Exact projection reduces the calculated β decay half-lives from those that use the needle approximation by up to 60%, and even more when taking the effects of projection on the ground-state energy into account.

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    Phys. Rev. C 113, 034311– Published 11 March, 2026
    • Received 19 October 2025
    • Revised 13 January 2026
    • Accepted 17 February 2026
    Article part of CHORUS
    Accepted manuscript will be available starting 11 March, 2027.
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