Toward ab initio charge symmetry breaking in nuclear energy density functionals

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method to determine the charge symmetry breaking strength in nuclear energy density functionals using ab initio calculations and observable nuclear properties, enhancing the accuracy of nuclear models.

Contribution

It presents a new approach to constrain the CSB term in nuclear density functional theory based on ab initio calculations and experimental observables.

Findings

Mass difference of mirror nuclei can constrain CSB strength.

Neutron-skin thickness measurements help determine CSB interaction.

Uncertainty in CSB strength can be reduced to less than 6%.

Abstract

We propose a new approach to determine the strength of the charge symmetry breaking (CSB) term in the framework of nuclear density functional theory. It is shown that once ab initio calculations are available including accurate description of isospin symmetry breaking terms in medium and heavy nuclei, the mass difference of mirror nuclei as well as the neutron-skin thickness of doubly-closed-shell nuclei can be used to constrain the strength of the CSB interaction with an uncertainty less than $ 6 \, \% $, separately from other isospin symmetry breaking forces. This method opens a new vista of ab initio nuclear energy density functionals.