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.

⚛️ phenomenology

Out-of-equilibrium contributions to charm hadrons in a fluid-dynamic approach

This paper extends the fluid-dynamic description of charm quarks in the quark-gluon plasma by incorporating out-of-equilibrium corrections from both the initial free-streaming phase and the freeze-out surface, enabling precise calculations of charm hadron yields and momentum distributions to systematically determine transport coefficients while validating the model against experimental data and defining its kinematic limits.

Rossana Facen, Federica Capellino, Eduardo Grossi, Andrea Dubla, Silvia Masciocchi2026-07-02
⚛️ nuclear experiments

Neutron Star Equation of State with Nucleon Short-Range Correlations: A Concise Review and Open Issues

This concise review examines how nucleon short-range correlations and their resulting high-momentum tails modify the kinetic and interaction contributions to the neutron star equation of state, thereby influencing macroscopic observables such as mass-radius relations and tidal deformabilities, while summarizing current constraints and outlining open questions for future research.

Bao-Jun Cai, Bao-An Li, Yu-Gang Ma2026-07-02
⚛️ phenomenology

Putting Jet Substructure on Track(s)

This paper presents the first complete theoretical calculations of jet substructure observables on tracks at the Large Hadron Collider, utilizing factorization theorems and renormalization group techniques to compute projected energy correlators up to four points at next-to-leading collinear logarithmic accuracy, thereby enabling precise comparisons between experimental tracking data and theory.

Kyle Lee, Ian Moult, Wouter J. Waalewijn2026-07-02
⚛️ lattice

Elastic deuteron-deuteron scattering within Nuclear Lattice Effective Field Theory

This paper presents the first nuclear lattice effective field theory calculation of low-energy deuteron-deuteron scattering in the spin-quintet 5S2^{5}S_2 channel, utilizing chiral interactions and stabilization techniques to derive consistent phase shifts and scattering parameters that reveal a stronger effective repulsion than previously reported.

Helen Meyer, Serdar Elhatisari, Ulf-G. Meißner2026-07-02
⚛️ phenomenology

Shedding light on the nature of ϕ(2170)\phi(2170) with the parton and hadron cascade model PACIAE

Using the PACIAE 4.0 model to simulate e+e−e^+e^- collisions at s=4.95\sqrt{s}=4.95 GeV, this study evaluates various structural interpretations of the ϕ(2170)\phi(2170) resonance—including strangeonium, hybrid, tetraquark, and molecular configurations—by calculating their production yields and identifying distinct rapidity and transverse momentum spectral signatures that can distinguish their true nature.

Jian Cao, Wen-Chao Zhang, Bo Feng, Ya-Hui Hou, An-Ke Lei, Zhi-Lei She, Hua Zheng, Li-Lin Zhu, Dai-Mei Zhou, Yu-Liang Yan (…)2026-07-02