Nuclear physics from first principles: establishing a continuous thread between few-body and heavy-nuclear observables using effective field theories

Lorenzo Contessi (IJCLab, Orsay, France)

Effective field theories promise to extract nuclear properties from first principles, however, no theory can grant access to many-body observables yet and, at the same time, remain connected with the fundamental theory of nuclear physics: QCD. I propose a new approach to the nuclear problem through a pionless expansion of the potential, together with a solution for the most problematic issues of this approach.
   In this seminar, I will illustrate why a bottom-up contact approach can be the key to understanding the emergence of heavy nuclear features from few-nucleon properties. Moreover, I will show how it is possible to take advantage of the relative simplicity of contact EFTs for a direct matching with cluster and halo theories, ensuring a direct thread between fundamental symmetries and the peculiarities of clustered, halo, and neutron-rich systems.