Ab initio path to heavy nuclei

• Main Authors: Sven Binder, Joachim Langhammer, Angelo Calci, Robert Roth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2014-09-01
• Series: Physics Letters B
• Subjects: Ab initio nuclear structure theory; Chiral effective field theory; Coupled-cluster theory; Heavy nuclei
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269314004961
• ISSN: 0370-2693; 1873-2445

We present the first ab initio calculations of nuclear ground states up into the domain of heavy nuclei, spanning the range from 16O to 132Sn, based on two- plus three-nucleon interactions derived within chiral effective field theory. We employ the similarity renormalization group for preparing the Hamiltonian and use coupled-cluster theory to solve the many-body problem for nuclei with closed sub-shells. Through an analysis of theoretical uncertainties resulting from various truncations in this framework, we identify and eliminate the technical hurdles that previously inhibited the step beyond medium-mass nuclei, allowing for reliable validations of nuclear Hamiltonians in the heavy regime. Following this path we show that chiral Hamiltonians qualitatively reproduce the systematics of nuclear ground-state energies up to the neutron-rich Sn isotopes.