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

• DOI: 10.1038/s41567-022-01715-8
• Publication Date: 2022-08-22T16:03:59Z
• Authors: Baishan Hu; Weiguang Jiang; Takayuki Miyagi; Zhonghao Sun; Andreas Ekström; Christian Forssén; Gaute Hagen; Jason D. Holt; Thomas Papenbrock; S. Ragnar Stroberg; Ian Vernon
• Keywords: Atomic nucleus; Nuclear force; Nuclear Structure

Heavy atomic nuclei have an excess of neutrons over protons, which leads to the formation a neutron skin whose thickness is sensitive details nuclear force. This links properties stars, thereby relating objects that differ in size by orders magnitude. The nucleus ${}^{208}$Pb particular interest because it exhibits simple structure and experimentally accessible. However, computing such heavy has been out reach for ab initio theory. By combining advances quantum many-body methods, statistical tools, emulator technology, we make quantitative predictions starting from forces are consistent with symmetries low-energy chromodynamics. We explore $10^9$ different nuclear-force parameterisations via history matching, confront them data select light nuclei, arrive at importance-weighted ensemble interactions. accurately reproduce bulk determine thickness, smaller more precise than recent extraction parity-violating electron scattering but agreement other experimental probes. work demonstrates how realistic two- three-nucleon act allows us across landscape.