Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Ab initio pathway to deformed nuclei

Project description

First-principles description of deformed nuclei

The intrinsic shape of atomic nuclei often deviates from a spherical configuration and exhibits more complex structures. The particular character of this shape emerges from the interaction between the constituent protons and neutrons. However, our microscopic understanding of the dynamics of such deformed nuclei is still limited. The ERC-funded project DeformedNuclei aims to develop new technologies for the description of deformed nuclei from first principles. The research team will employ advanced nuclear models to address nuclear deformation and advance nuclear structure calculations to heavier and more exotic systems. With this we expect seminal contributions to improve our understanding of the phenomenology of deformed nuclei and its link to the underlying strong interaction.

Objective

Nuclear physics is one of the main drivers for extending our current understanding of Nature, its fundamental forces and the organization of compound systems on subatomic scales. The description of atomic nuclei and nuclear matter connects microscopic systems to astrophysics and the origin of elements, bridging orders of magnitudes in energy scales. A precise understanding of the rich nuclear phenomenology and their emergence from the interaction between neutrons and protons impacts various facets of contemporary physics. Despite tremendous progress over the past decades a fully controlled description of nuclei throughout the entire nuclear chart is still lacking. In particular many experimentally relevant nuclei reveal exotic shapes and strong deformation where nuclear physicists still rely on the use of phenomenological approaches based on uncontrolled approximations with limited predictive power beyond the regions where they have been adjusted.

In my project I will develop new technologies to target deformed nuclei using nuclear interactions derived from chiral effective field theory and study the impact of interaction models on the predicted nuclear shapes. Combined with a uncertainty quantification of many-body observables this allows for unprecedented predictions of nuclei far away from shell closures significantly extending the scope of first principles nuclear structure calculations. The novelty and challenge of the proposed research lies in (i) the design of many-body frameworks applicable to deformed nuclei, (ii) statistical analyses for uncertainty quantification and (iii) the establishment of tensor network approaches in ab initio simulations. This array of developments, puts me in the unique position to tackle the following big research questions: How does nuclear deformation emerge in a first-principles approach? What are the overall uncertainties associated to an ab initio computation? What is the most efficient way of describing exotic nuclei?

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2024-STG

See all projects funded under this call

Host institution

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT DARMSTADT
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 497 360,00
Address
KAROLINENPLATZ 5
64289 DARMSTADT
Germany

See on map

Region
Hessen Darmstadt Darmstadt, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 497 360,00

Beneficiaries (1)

My booklet 0 0