Ab initio nuclear theory
Abstract
Through the research contained in this proposal we want to address theoretical nuclear physics aspects that relate to three experimental programs of very high scientific profile:
1. Efforts to detect particle dark matter.
2. High-precision measurements of beta decay particles.
3. Gravitational wave signals from neutron star mergers.
The first two programs aim at searching for signals of physics beyond the Standard Model, and the third can improve our understanding of neutron stars and the synthesis of elements.
Reaching these ambitious goals relies on progress at the frontier of modern ab initio nuclear theory. We will pursue three computational lines of research with mutual connections (see Resource usage for details):
1. The development of state-of-the-art many-body solvers for quantum systems of strongly-interacting particles.
2. The development of emulators, trading precision for speed, for the many-body solvers.
3. The study of nuclear interactions and currents from chiral effective field theory.
The significance and timeliness of this research project is demonstrated by its connection to two prestigious research grants:
(i) VR project grant: "Weak and rare nuclear processes: nuclear probes of fundamental symmetries and dark matter" (C.Forssen, PI)
(ii) KAW project grant: "Discovering Dark Matter Particles in the Laboratory" (C. Forssen, co-I)
