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.

Non-Equilibrium Trace Anomaly And Bulk Viscosity in Heavy Ion Collisions From Kinetic Theory

This paper investigates the far-from-equilibrium dynamics of a relativistic massive gas with various quantum statistics undergoing Bjorken expansion using the method of moments, revealing that the trace anomaly and bulk viscosity exhibit non-monotonic time evolution, depend sensitively on particle statistics and initial chemical potential, and converge to a universal late-time attractor regardless of initial non-equilibrium configurations.

Krishanu Sengupta, Reghukrishnan Gangadharan, Victor Roy2026-01-26⚛️ nucl-th

Non-hermitian Green's function theory with NN-body interactions: the coupled-cluster similarity transformation

This paper develops a non-hermitian Green's function theory for coupled-cluster methods by establishing a biorthogonal quantum framework, deriving diagrammatic expansions for the coupled-cluster self-energy and Bethe-Salpeter kernel, and introducing a new CC-G0W0G_0W_0 approximation that bridges Green's function and coupled-cluster theories.

Christopher J. N. Coveney, David P. Tew2026-01-23⚛️ nucl-th

An improved formula for Wigner function and spin polarization in a decoupling relativistic fluid at local thermodynamic equilibrium

This paper presents an improved formula for the Wigner function and spin polarization of fermions in a decoupling relativistic fluid by introducing a new expansion method that captures geometric dependencies in the spin-shear term, naturally justifies the isothermal condition, and extends the framework to particles with arbitrary spin.

Xin-Li Sheng, Francesco Becattini, Daniele Roselli2026-01-23⚛️ nucl-th

Decay Effect on Near-Threshold Mass Scaling with Complex and Coupled-Channel Potentials

This paper investigates how decay channels influence near-threshold mass scaling using potential models, demonstrating that the pole of a quasibound state below the threshold is not continuously connected to that of a resonance state above the threshold, while clarifying the correspondence between single-channel complex and coupled-channel real potential approaches.

Erick Gushiken, Tetsuo Hyodo2026-01-23⚛️ nucl-th

\textit{Ab initio} Gamow density matrix renormalization group for broad nuclear many-body resonances

This paper extends the \textit{ab initio} Gamow Density Matrix Renormalization Group (G-DMRG) method to accurately describe broad nuclear many-body resonances by introducing novel truncation schemes and orbital ordering strategies based on entanglement, successfully demonstrating convergence and obtaining the first direct calculation of the \isotope[5]{H} ground state.

A. Sehovic, K. Fossez, H. Hergert2026-01-23⚛️ nucl-th