Ab initio predictions link the neutron skin of ²⁰⁸Pb to nuclear forces.

ABSTRACT: Heavy atomic nuclei have an excess of neutrons over protons, which leads to the formation of a neutron skin whose thickness is sensitive to details of the nuclear force. This links atomic nuclei to properties of neutron stars, thereby relating objects that differ in size by orders of magnitude. The nucleus ²⁰⁸Pb is of particular interest because it exhibits a simple structure and is experimentally accessible. However, computing such a heavy nucleus has been out of reach for ab initio theory. By combining advances in quantum many-body methods, statistical tools and emulator technology, we make quantitative predictions for the properties of ²⁰⁸Pb starting from nuclear forces that are consistent with symmetries of low-energy quantum chromodynamics. We explore 10⁹

SUBMITTER: Hu B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9537109 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature