Uncertainty analysis and order-by-order optimization of chiral nuclear interactions

Understand

Chiral effective field theory (chiEFT) provides a systematic approach to describe low-energy nuclear forces.

• Moreover, chiEFT is able to provide well-founded estimates of statistical and systematic uncertainties -- although this unique advantage has not yet been fully exploited.
• We fill this gap by performing an optimization and statistical analysis of all the low-energy constants (LECs) up to next-to-next-to-leading order.
• Our optimization protocol corresponds to a simultaneous fit to scattering and bound-state observables in the pion-nucleon, nucleon-nucleon, and few-nucleon sectors, thereby utilizing the full model capabilities of chiEFT.