Role of Quarks in Nuclear Structure

TL;DR

This paper explores how the internal quark structure of nucleons adjusts in nuclear media, proposing a new energy density functional that effectively describes nuclear properties and suggests experimental tests for this novel paradigm.

Contribution

It introduces a self-consistent quark-based energy density functional for nuclear structure, offering a new paradigm in nuclear theory.

Findings

Successfully describes properties of nuclei across the periodic table

Derives from a physically motivated, minimal-parameter model

Proposes experimental tests for the new nuclear paradigm

Abstract

The strong force that binds atomic nuclei is governed by the rules of Quantum Chromodynamics. Here we consider the suggestion the internal quark structure of a nucleon will adjust self-consistently to the local mean scalar field in a nuclear medium and that this may play a profound role in nuclear structure. We show that one can derive an energy density functional based on this idea, which successfully describes the properties of atomic nuclei across the periodic table in terms of a small number of physically motivated parameters. Because this approach amounts to a new paradigm for nuclear theory, it is vital to find ways to test it experimentally and we review a number of the most promising possibilities.