Nuclear constraints on non-Newtonian gravity at femtometer scale

TL;DR

This paper investigates how non-Newtonian gravity, modeled via a Yukawa potential, affects finite nuclei properties and establishes constraints on its strength at femtometer scales based on experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a consistent Hartree-Fock approach incorporating Yukawa potential effects and derives new limits on non-Newtonian gravity parameters at femtometer distances.

Findings

Yukawa potential strength is constrained to $ ext{log}(| ext{alpha}|)<1.75/[ ext{lambda}( ext{fm})]^{0.54} + 33.6$ for $ ext{lambda}=1-10$ fm.

Finite nuclei properties restrict non-Newtonian gravity effects at femtometer scales.

First time such constraints are derived from nuclear structure calculations.

Abstract

Effects of the non-Newtonian gravity on properties of finite nuclei are studied by consistently incorporating both the direct and exchange contribution of the Yukawa potential in the Hartree-Fock approach using a well-tested Skyrme force for the strong interaction. It is shown for the first time that the strength of the Yukawa term in the non-Newtonian gravity is limited to $\log(|\alpha|)<1.75/[\lambda(\rm fm)]^{0.54} + 33.6$ within the length scale of $\lambda=1-10$ fm in order for the calculated properties of finite nuclei not to be in conflict with accurate experimental data available.