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.

Radiative strength functions from the energy-localized Brink-Axel hypothesis

This paper introduces an energy-localized Brink-Axel hypothesis variant of the shell model Lanczos strength-function method to efficiently compute radiative strength functions for use in Hauser-Feshbach reaction codes, demonstrating its validity on $^{24}$ Mg and revealing that while M1 and E1 transitions significantly contribute below the photo-absorption threshold in $^{56}$ Fe, current model spaces cannot fully reproduce the low-energy strength observed in Oslo-type experiments.

Oliver C. Gorton, Konstantinos Kravvaris, Jutta E. Escher, Calvin W. Johnson2026-04-30⚛️ nucl-th

Possible explanation of Hoehler's clustering: effective partial-wave mixing induced by truncation

This paper proposes that the clustering of resonance poles observed in $\pi N$ scattering by Hoehler may be partially an artifact of the pole extraction procedure, specifically arising from effective partial-wave mixing induced by the necessary truncation of the partial-wave series.

A. Svarc2026-04-30⚛️ nucl-th

Thermodynamics of magnetized matter in hot and dense QCD

This pedagogical review chapter summarizes first-principles lattice QCD simulations and effective theory calculations regarding the thermodynamics of magnetized quark-gluon matter under extreme conditions of high temperature, density, and strong electromagnetic fields, which are relevant to heavy-ion collisions, neutron stars, and the early Universe.

Bastian B. Brandt, Gergely Endrodi2026-04-30⚛️ hep-lat

Thermal and geometric normal modes of spectral fluctuations in heavy-ion collisions

This contribution employs principal component analysis to decompose event-by-event spectral fluctuations in heavy-ion collisions into distinct thermal and geometric normal modes, establishing a physical analogy to molecular vibrations that explains key experimental observables such as $v_0(p_T)$ and the sign change at low $p_T$ in $v_{02}(p_T)$ .

Rupam Samanta2026-04-30⚛️ nucl-th

Continuum contribution to charged-current absorption of low-energy $\nu_e$ on $^{40}$ Ar

This paper presents refined calculations of low-energy $\nu_e$ absorption on $^{40}$ Ar using a hybrid HF-CRPA and statistical de-excitation model, revealing that the standard MARLEY model overestimates DUNE event yields by approximately 20% while potentially improving the feasibility of supernova pointing due to a more pronounced overestimation at backward angles.

Steven Gardiner, Pablo Barham Alzás, Alexis Nikolakopoulos, Luca H. Abu El-Haj, Natalie Jachowicz, Vishvas Pandey2026-04-30⚛️ nucl-th

Outer-Crust Equations of State for Neutron Stars

This paper demonstrates that while different nuclear mass models predict varying equilibrium compositions in the deepest layers of a neutron star's outer crust, these differences propagate only weakly to global observables, resulting in less than a one percent variation in the properties of crust-dominated neutron stars and confirming the robustness of modern models for astrophysical applications.

P. S. Koliogiannis, N. Paar2026-04-30⚛️ nucl-th

Thermodynamics of magnetized BPS baryonic layers and the effects of the Isospin chemical potential

This paper utilizes the Hamilton-Jacobi equation and Casimir effect techniques to derive analytical expressions for the thermodynamics of magnetized BPS baryonic layers within a gauged non-linear sigma model, establishing a unique connection between the grand canonical partition function and the Riemann zeta function while explicitly incorporating the effects of non-zero Isospin chemical potential.

Sergio Luigi Cacciatori, Fabrizio Canfora, Evangelo Delgado, Federica Muscolino, Luigi Rosa2026-04-29⚛️ nucl-th

Validity of relativistic hydrodynamics beyond local equilibrium

By constructing formal solutions to the Boltzmann moment equations, this paper demonstrates that relativistic hydrodynamics remains effective far from equilibrium not because systems are near equilibrium, but because non-perturbative modes allow it to smoothly interpolate between free-streaming and collective behavior, effectively explaining its success in modeling quark-gluon plasma.

Reghukrishnan Gangadharan2026-04-29⚛️ nucl-th

Disentangling baryon stopping and neutron skin effects in heavy-ion collisions

This paper proposes a statistical model analysis of heavy-ion collisions that quantitatively extracts baryon-stopping parameters from isobar data and introduces a new oxygen-baseline observable to systematically probe neutron-skin thickness across various collision systems and energies.

Grégoire Pihan, Volodymyr Vovchenko2026-04-29⚛️ nucl-ex

Effect of neutron-proton asymmetry on the $^3$ H clustering in Boron isotopes

Using Antisymmetrized Molecular Dynamics, this study reveals that while $\alpha$ cluster formation in Boron isotopes is monotonically suppressed by increasing neutron number, $^3$ H clustering exhibits a non-monotonic trend peaking at $^{12}$ B due to a competition between neutron skin suppression and neutron-proton asymmetry enhancement, a phenomenon effectively quantified by the $^3$ H/ $\alpha$ spectroscopic factor ratio.

J. L. Jin, Q. Zhao, P. J. Li, M. Kimura, D. Beaumel, B. Zhou, J. L. Tian2026-04-29⚛️ nucl-th

← Previous Next →

nucl-th