nucl-th papers | Gist.Science

Nuclear theory sits at the fascinating intersection of particle physics and the forces that hold our universe together. This field explores how protons and neutrons bind inside atomic nuclei, seeking to understand the fundamental interactions that govern matter at its most dense and energetic levels. While the mathematics involved can be incredibly complex, the core questions are deeply human: how does the universe function at its smallest scales, and what happens when we push matter to its limits?

At Gist.Science, we make these cutting-edge discoveries accessible by processing every new preprint published in this category on arXiv. Our team transforms dense academic manuscripts into clear, plain-language summaries alongside detailed technical overviews, ensuring that both experts and curious readers can grasp the latest breakthroughs without getting lost in the jargon. Below are the latest papers in nuclear theory, distilled and ready for you to explore.

Bayesian Inference of Heavy-Quark Dissipation and Jet Transport Parameters from D-Meson observables in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC energies

This study presents the first simultaneous Bayesian inference of temperature-dependent heavy-quark spatial diffusion and jet transport coefficients in quark-gluon plasma using LHC D-meson data, revealing a non-monotonic temperature dependence in their ratio and establishing a data-driven quantitative relationship between these fundamental transport properties.

Xu-Fei Xue, Zi-Xuan Xu, Wei Dai, Jiaxing Zhao, Ben-Wei Zhang2026-04-17⚛️ hep-ph

Measurement of the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integrand for proton and deuteron from 200 to 1400 MeV

New high-precision measurements of the helicity-dependent cross sections for protons and deuterons in the 200–1400 MeV photon energy range, obtained at the MAMI facility, have been used to verify the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum rule for the proton, neutron, and deuteron while providing a critical benchmark for theoretical models of nucleon structure.

P. Pedroni, F. Afzal, S. Abt, P. Achenbach, J. R. M. Annand, H. J. Arends, S. D. Bass, M. Biroth, R. Beck, N. Borisov, A. Braghieri, W. J. Briscoe, F. Cividini, C. Collicott, A. S. Dolzhikov, E. Downi (…)2026-04-17⚛️ nucl-ex

Constraining the $N=16$ Shell Gap in $^{17}$ C via Transfer to the Continuum in the $^{16}$ C $(d,p)^{17}$ C Reaction

This study extends a semi-microscopic reaction model to unbound states in the $^{16}$ C(d,p) $^{17}$ C reaction, demonstrating that the measured differential cross sections require a large $N=16$ shell gap exceeding 5 MeV to accurately describe the $1d_{3/2}$ single-particle strength.

P. Punta, J. A. Lay, A. M. Moro, J. Lois-Fuentes, B. Fernández-Domínguez2026-04-17⚛️ nucl-th

Perturbative calculations of light nuclei up to N $^3$ LO in chiral effective field theory

This paper demonstrates that a renormalization-group-invariant power counting scheme in chiral effective field theory, treating subleading two-nucleon interactions perturbatively and calibrating with the triton binding energy, enables robust N $^3$ LO predictions for the ground-state energies of $^3$ H, $^4$ He, and $^6$ Li.

Oliver Thim, Andreas Ekström, Christian Forssén2026-04-17⚛️ nucl-th

A minimal implementation of Yang--Mills theory on a digital quantum computer

This paper presents a minimal, resource-efficient framework for digitally simulating SU( $N$ ) pure Yang-Mills theory in 3+1 dimensions by combining an orbifold lattice protocol with simplified Hamiltonians and SU(2) embedding techniques, while validating these analytical improvements through Monte Carlo benchmarks to support practical quantum simulation of non-Abelian gauge theories.

Georg Bergner, Masanori Hanada, Emanuele Mendicelli2026-04-17⚛️ hep-lat

Finite-size behavior of higher-order cumulant ratios near criticality in two-dimensional Potts models

Using Monte Carlo simulations of two-dimensional two-state and three-state Potts models, this study investigates the hierarchy of higher-order cumulant ratios near criticality and finds that, contrary to theoretical predictions for QCD, the specific ordering observed by the STAR experiment does not generically emerge in these finite statistical systems undergoing second-order phase transitions.

Rajiv V. Gavai, Bedangadas Mohanty, Jaydev Singh Rao, Swati Saha2026-04-16⚛️ hep-lat

Pauli Blocking effects in Nilsson states of weakly bound exotic nuclei

This paper demonstrates that incorporating Pauli blocking effects, particularly through a partial blocking method accounting for pair correlations, into deformed few-body models significantly improves the description of the structure and transfer reaction cross-sections of weakly bound exotic nuclei like $^{17}$ C and $^{19}$ C.

P. Punta, J. A. Lay, A. M. Moro, G. Colò2026-04-16⚛️ nucl-th

$T \times \mu$ phase diagram from a fractal NJL model

This paper proposes a $\mu$ -dependent coupling within a fractal Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model, calibrated against lattice QCD data, to successfully reproduce the $T \times \mu$ phase diagram and experimental results from the STAR collaboration using both extensive and non-extensive statistics.

E. Megias, A. Deppman, V. S. Timóteo2026-04-16⚛️ hep-lat

Absence of charged pion condensation in a magnetic field with parallel rotation

This paper demonstrates that neither non-interacting nor self-interacting charged bosons can undergo Bose-Einstein condensation in a parallel magnetic field and rotation due to the system's quasi-one-dimensional nature, which suppresses the critical temperature and prevents off-diagonal long-range order at any nonzero temperature.

Puyuan Bai, Lianyi He2026-04-16⚛️ nucl-th

Phase transitions at high and low densities for a rotating QCD matter from holography

Using an exact Andreev soft-wall holographic model, this study reveals that relativistic rotation exceeding 16% of the speed of light induces crossover phase transitions in low-density rotating QCD matter up to a critical baryon chemical potential of approximately 363.55 MeV, beyond which first-order transitions dominate.

Octavio C. Junqueira, Roldao da Rocha2026-04-16⚛️ nucl-th

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