Role Of Chiral Two-Body Currents In Li-6 Magnetic Properties In Light Of A New Precision Measurement With The Relative Self-Absorption Technique

A direct measurement of the decay width of the excited 0(1)(+) state of Li-6 using the relative self-absorption technique is reported. Our value of r not Gamma(gamma,01+ -> 11+) = 8.17(14)(stat)(.) (11)(syst.) eV provides sufficiently low experimental uncertainties to test modem theories of nuclear forces. The corresponding transition rate is compared to the results of ab initio calculations based on chiral effective field theory that take into account contributions to the magnetic dipole operator beyond leading order. This enables a precision test of the impact of two-body currents that enter at next-to-leading order.