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.

Uncertainty quantification of holographic transport and energy loss for the hot and baryon-dense QGP

This paper presents an open-source C++ implementation of a holographic Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton model with improved numerical stability to quantify uncertainties in various transport coefficients and energy loss parameters across the QCD phase diagram by propagating lattice QCD constraints via Bayesian sampling.

Musa R. Khan, Ayrton Nascimento, Yumu Yang, Joaquin Grefa, Mauricio Hippert, Jorge Noronha, Claudia Ratti, Romulo Rougemont2026-03-24⚛️ nucl-th

Production correlation of light (hyper-)nuclei in Au-Au collisions from the RHIC Beam Energy Scan

This paper employs a quark combination model within a hadronic coalescence framework to systematically analyze the production of light nuclei and hypernuclei in Au-Au collisions across the RHIC Beam Energy Scan, successfully explaining existing experimental data for species like deuterons and hypertritons while predicting yields for various Ω\Omega-hypernuclei and exploring their production correlations as a function of collision energy.

Jiang-He Qiao, Jian-Yu Liu, Yan-Ting Feng, Feng-Lan Shao, Rui-Qin Wang2026-03-24⚛️ nucl-th

A Unified Theoretical Framework for HFB Resonant States: Integration of the Complex-Scaled Jost Function and Autonne-Takagi Normalization

This paper establishes a unified theoretical framework for Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov resonant states by combining the complex-scaled Jost function method with Autonne-Takagi normalization to rigorously derive a completeness relation, uniquely define resonant wave functions, and explain hole-type quasiparticle resonances as Fano interference phenomena.

Kazuhito Mizuyama2026-03-24⚛️ nucl-th

Bayesian extraction of TMC-free collectivity in p+p and p+Pb collisions at the LHC

This paper develops a Bayesian inference framework to disentangle genuine collective flow from transverse momentum conservation (TMC) backgrounds in small collision systems, revealing that while pp+Pb data aligns with standard flow measurements, pp+pp collisions require this new method to accurately extract flow magnitudes that are otherwise underestimated due to competing TMC effects.

Shuang Guo, Jia-Lin Pei, Guo-Liang Ma, Adam Bzdak2026-03-24⚛️ nucl-ex

Lepton Double Charge Exchange Reactions as Probes for Lepton Number Violation

This paper proposes and analyzes lepton double charge exchange reactions (A(e,e+)A(e^-,e^+)X) at multi-GeV accelerator facilities as a feasible and powerful probe for lepton number violation and physics beyond the Standard Model, predicting sizable cross sections driven by left-right mixing and heavy neutral leptons that are free from the constraints of traditional decay or capture experiments.

H. Lenske, F. Cappuzzello, A. Spatafora2026-03-24⚛️ nucl-th

Jet quenching and its substructure dependence due to color decoherence

Motivated by color coherence and decoherence effects, this paper proposes a theoretical framework combining vacuum-like evolution and medium-induced radiation to successfully describe the inclusive jet modification factor and its substructure dependence in 0–10% PbPb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 5.02~\rm{TeV} as measured by ATLAS.

Xiang-Pan Duan, Lin Chen, Guo-Liang Ma, Carlos A. Salgado, Bin Wu2026-03-24⚛️ nucl-ex

Exact center symmetry and first-order phase transition in QCD with three degenerate dynamical quarks

Using first-principles lattice simulations with an exact center symmetry induced by a specific imaginary isospin chemical potential, this study demonstrates that QCD with three degenerate dynamical quarks undergoes a first-order deconfinement phase transition and maps its behavior in the mass-isospin chemical potential plane.

Gergely Endrodi, Guy D. Moore, Adam Pieczynski, Alessandro Sciarra2026-03-24⚛️ hep-lat