The Science
The Impact
In ab initio studies, scientists use EFTs to compute how nucleons interact and scatter. EFTs allow scientists to examine different energy levels for these interactions. They can also examine different levels of accuracy for the calculations. These calculations help scientists understand observations from experiments. Now, scientists have performed the first nucleon-nucleus scattering calculations using nucleon-nucleon interactions with EFT. They used statistical analysis to examine how much uncertainty the calculations produce. This will help scientists interpret how well the EFT approach works for different nucleon-nucleon interactions. It will also help them interpret the findings of physics experiments.
Summary
This study found that the diagnostic tools scientists use to study atomic nuclei with just a few neutrons and protons can also be used to study the scattering of protons and neutrons off atomic nuclei. Specifically, the theoretical model on which this study is based gives a good description of scattering of protons from carbon-12 and oxygen-16 at low energies, especially for scattering at more forward scattering angles. Combining the successful description of nuclei with ab initio methods with approaches to nuclear reactions has been and still is a challenge in theoretical nuclear physics. Addressing this challenge is an important task in the era of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.
Funding
This research was supported by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, Nuclear Physics and Advanced Scientific Computing Research offices and the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program. The research was also supported by the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science user facility.