Theoretical uncertainty quantification and precision nuclear physics

by Christian Forseen

Thursday 31 Mar 2016, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Rome

248 (Building C, first floor)

Experimental and theoretical developments in low-energy nuclear physics go hand in hand, sometimes led by experiments andother times by theory. Ab initio nuclear models are required for a truly predictive theory to describe nuclei and their interactions. A key message will be that predictive power requires the ability to quantify theoretical uncertainties. While it is true that theoretical error estimates are difficult to obtain, the pursuit thereof plays a pivotal role in science. Reliable theoretical errors can help to determine to what extent a disagreement between experiment and theory hints at new physics, and they can provide input to identify the most relevant new experiments. As will be shown, nuclear theory is at a stage where such questions can be addressed.