The progress made in ab initio microscopic calculations of radiative and weak capture rates involving few-nucleon systems with A up to 6 will be reviewed. The methods used to generate accurate nuclear ground- and scattering-state wave functions, and to construct a realistic electroweak transition operator will be described. The uncertainties in the theoretical predictions will be discussed, particularly those relevant to the processes ¹H(p,e⁺nu_e)²H, ³He(p,e⁺nu_e)⁴He, and ²H(p,gamma)³He. For this last reaction, the theoretical results will be compared with TUNL and Wisconsin low-energy data, including cross sections and polarization observables.

ANL Physics Division Colloquium Schedule