2025/10/16 by Kristina D. Launey, G. H. Sargsyan, Launey, Kristina D +7 · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomical and nuclear sciences #Cold Fusion and Nuclear Reactions #FOS: Physical sciences #Nuclear Theory (nucl-th) #Nuclear physics research studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2510.15171
openalex publication_date 2025/10/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/21 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In this review, we discuss recent applications of the ab initio symmetry-adapted no-core shell-model (SA-NCSM) theory for study and prediction of structure and reactions of stable and unstable nuclei from light to medium mass range. We explore structure properties of neutron-rich He, Mg, and Li isotopes, with a focus on nuclear collectivity, clustering, and spectroscopic factors, as well as multi-particle excitations of utmost significance in the proximity of the drip lines. In addition, we present extensions of the SA-NCSM with continuum for determining the microscopic structure of reaction fragments, which enables calculations of reaction cross sections for targets from the lightest 4,6He to 40Ca, rooted in first principles. We illustrate this for neutron and proton elastic scattering, deuteron and alpha capture reactions, and alpha knock-out reactions. Furthermore, we discuss microscopic optical potentials with uncertainty quantification, a critical ingredient in many reaction models, and reaction observables with uncertainties that stem from the underlying chiral potential. We also discuss the impact of alpha clustering on reactions of significance to nuclear astrophysics, as well as on beta decays and beyond-the-standard-model physics.