Speaker
Description
We investigate the structure of $^{12}$C and $^{16}$O within an ab-initio Hyperspherical Harmonics framework using short-range Effective Field Theory-inspired interactions. For $^{12}$C, ground and excited states are accurately reproduced with a two-body potential plus a fine-tuned three-body force, while $^{16}$O requires a genuine four-body interaction to match experiment. We also analyze the triple-$\alpha$ reaction, crucial for stellar nucleosynthesis but poorly constrained at low energies. Employing the adiabatic hyperspherical approximation, we study the $0^{+}$ Hoyle state and its role in the reaction dynamics. These results underline the relevance of cluster structures and many-body forces in light nuclei and their impact on astrophysical reaction rates.
