Electron scattering on ${\mathbf{A=3}}$ nuclei from quantum Monte Carlo based approaches

Understand

We perform first-principle calculations of electron-nucleus scattering on $^3$He and $^3$H using the Green's function Monte Carlo method and two approaches based on the factorization of the final hadronic state: the spectral-function formalism and the short-time approximation.

• These three methods are benchmarked among each other and compared to the experimental data for the longitudinal and transverse electromagnetic response functions of $^3$He, and the inclusive cross sections of both $^3$He and $^3$H.
• Since these three approaches are based on the same description of nuclear dynamics of the initial target state, comparing their results enables a precise quantification of the uncertainties inherent to factorization schemes.
• At sufficiently large values of the momentum transfer, we find an excellent agreement of the Green's function Monte Carlo calculation with experimental data and with both the spectral-function formalism and the short-time approximation.