First-principles nuclear structure theory and implications for fundamental physics

Ab initio nuclear structure theory aims to predict the structure of atomic nuclei from "first principles," employing systematically improvable approximations in the determination of nuclear forces and in the solution of the many-body Schrödinger equation. Over the past two decades, this ab initio paradigm has been successfully established as a consistent, precise framework for predicting the structure of medium-mass nuclei (closed- and open-shell) and can now also reach heavy systems. I will introduce the key ideas behind these microscopic calculations, focusing on their systematic improvability and the ability to give robust uncertainties on predictions.

Recent progress on high-precision calculations, uncertainty quantification, and model-independent expansions of beyond-standard-model physics have opened up the door for ab initio predictions for new physics searches. I will discuss these parallel developments, focusing on converged calculations of lead-208, high-precision many-body calculations in medium-light nuclei, and recent explorations in correlations for nuclear structure input to beyond-standard-model calculations. Based on these developments, I give an outlook for high-precision nuclear structure calculations for tests of fundamental symmetries.