Significance of Symplectic Symmetry in Many-nucleon Dynamics
Abstract
Understanding the origin, structure, and phases of hadronic matter is a forefront research area in physics. An integral part of this challenge is to achieve realistic modeling of the complex dynamics of atomic nuclei, which is key to comprehending the evolution of the universe from a fun damental quark/gluon level. We recently demonstrated the potential power of an innovative concept, the ab initio symplectic no-core shell model (Sp-NCSM), based on expanding the conventional har monic oscillator basis in terms of the symmetry-adapted and physically relevant symplectic basis, to reach new domains of nuclear structure. Using realistic interactions tied to Quantum Chromo-dynamics (QCD), the Sp-NCSM approach holds promise to build the bridge from QCD to measured properties of light nuclei, predict diverse features of unstable nuclei crucial for astrophysical processes, and provide nuclear structure information essential for cosmology and probing physics beyond the standard model. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.