Optimization of the generator coordinate method with machine-learning techniques for nuclear spectra and neutrinoless double- β decay: Ridge regression for nuclei with axial deformation

• Published in: Physical review. C 2023-02, Vol.107 (2), Article 024304
• Main Authors: Zhang, X., Lin, W., Yao, J. M., Jiao, C. F., Romero, A. M., Rodríguez, T. R., Hergert, H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: A ≤ 89; Electroweak interactions in nuclear physics; Machine learning; Neutrinoless double beta decay; Nuclear many-body theory; NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS; Nuclear structure & decays
• ISSN: 2469-9985; 2469-9993
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevC.107.024304

The generator coordinate method (GCM) is an important tool of choice for modeling large-amplitude collective motion in atomic nuclei. The computational complexity of the GCM increases rapidly with the number of collective coordinates. It imposes a strong restriction on the applicability of the method. In this work, we propose a subspace-reduction algorithm that employs optimal statistical ML models as surrogates for exact quantum-number projection calculations for norm and Hamiltonian kernels. The model space of the original GCM is reduced to a subspace relevant for nuclear low energy spectra and the NME of ground state to ground state 0νββ decay based on the orthogonality condition (OC) and the energy-transition-orthogonality procedure (ENTROP), respectively. For simplicity, the polynomial ridge regression (RR) algorithm is used to learn the norm and Hamiltonian kernels of axially deformed configurations. The efficiency and accuracy of this algorithm are illustrated for 76Ge and 76Se by comparing results obtained using the optimal RR models to direct GCM calculations. The low-lying energy spectra of 76Ge and 76Se, as well as the 0νββ-decay NME between their ground states, are computed. Furthermore, the results show that the performance of the GCM+OC/ENTROP+RR is more robust than that of the GCM+RR alone, and the former can reproduce the results of the original GCM calculation accurately with a significantly reduced computational cost.