PNuT Seminar: From Complexity, Universality

Abstract: Over the past decade, developments in effective field theory (EFT) and quantum many-body methods have lead to the "ab initio revolution" in nuclear physics. Notably, the recent ab initio simulation of 208Pb [1] has demonstrated the feasibility of computing nuclei from A=2 to A~208 using realistic nuclear forces consistent with the symmetries of Quantum Chromodynamics, without the need for phenomenological adjustments.

    Despite this remarkable progress, the nature of nuclear forces remains a profound mystery. In this talk, I will give a brief overview of some of the most commonly used nuclear forces derived from chiral EFT. I will then focus on some recent advances in ab initio calculations spanning light, medium-mass, and heavy nuclei. 

    Last but not least, I will present an ongoing effort to develop a new "universal" nuclear two- and three-body forces capable of accurately reproducing a wide range of "complex" nuclear observables, including two-body scattering phase shifts, properties of A=2 to 208 nucleon systems, and equations of state of nuclear matter.