1673 papers
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.
Using the three-fluid dynamics model, this study calculates global polarization in Au+Au collisions at high baryon densities (3–9 GeV), successfully reproducing STAR data at 3 GeV and predicting a broad maximum in polarization around 3–3.9 GeV while analyzing the specific contributions of thermal vorticity, meson fields, thermal shear, and the spin-Hall effect.
Using a three-fluid dynamics model with a crossover equation of state, this paper predicts a non-monotonic evolution of proton directed flow in Au+Au collisions between 4.5 and 7.7 GeV, characterized by a sign change and minimum at 7.2 GeV that signals the onset of the transition to quark-gluon plasma.
Using auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo simulations, this study provides precise thermodynamic benchmarks for the strongly interacting two-dimensional Fermi gas, identifying signatures of a pseudogap regime where pairing correlations persist above the superfluid critical temperature.
The paper introduces "disperon QED," a novel method leveraging dispersion relations, automated tools like OpenLoops, effective field theory, and threshold subtraction to efficiently handle data input for hadronic vacuum polarization insertions in two-loop Monte Carlo calculations, specifically demonstrated through the process in McMule.
The authors defend the conclusions of their original article (arXiv:2412.12282) against criticisms raised in a subsequent comment (arXiv:2502.15817v2) regarding QCD factorization with multihadron fragmentation functions.
This report synthesizes the outcomes of the 2025 EIC-France Workshop, outlining theoretical advancements and strategic priorities for the French hadron-physics community, with a specific focus on immediate opportunities in inclusive diffraction and quarkonium production alongside longer-term goals in pion structure and exclusive three-body final states.
This study demonstrates that correcting for "geometric inflation" artifacts in initial-state modeling of relativistic heavy-ion collisions significantly alters the sensitivity of final-state observables to nucleon size, thereby preventing biases in the extraction of nucleon structure and quark-gluon plasma properties.
This study reveals that despite a large parameter space in hybrid hydrodynamic models, the shape of scaled transverse momentum spectra exhibits surprisingly limited flexibility and significant tension with momentum-integrated observables, particularly regarding the nucleon width parameter and bulk viscosity.
This paper introduces sign-problem-free qubit-regularized lattice gauge theories in the monomer–dimer–tensor-network basis that successfully reproduce the confined and deconfined phases and universality classes of conventional SU(N) theories, suggesting a viable nonperturbative pathway to defining continuum limits for Yang–Mills theory.
This study analyzes the statistical properties of two-particle cumulants in pp, d-Au, and Au-Au collisions at RHIC energies, revealing that non-flow correlations consistently produce skewed distributions with increasing skewness and kurtosis in non-QGP models, whereas the HYDJET++ model yields a Gaussian distribution that diminishes to zero at larger pseudorapidity separations.