Isomeric Excitation Energy for

The excitation energy of the 1/2^{-} isomer in ^{99}In at N=50 is measured to be 671(37) keV and the mass uncertainty of the 9/2^{+} ground state is significantly reduced using the ISOLTRAP mass spectrometer at ISOLDE/CERN. The measurements exploit a major improvement in the resolution of the multireflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The results reveal an intriguing constancy of the 1/2^{-} isomer excitation energies in neutron-deficient indium that persists down to the N=50 shell closure, even when all neutrons are removed from the valence shell. This trend is used to test large-scale shell model, ab initio, and density functional theory calculations. The models have difficulties describing both the isomer excitation energies and ground-state electromagnetic moments along the indium chain.

Nuclear Equation of State for Arbitrary Proton Fraction and Temperature Based on Chiral Effective Field Theory and a Gaussian Process Emulator.

We calculate the equation of state of asymmetric nuclear matter at finite temperature based on chiral effective field theory interactions to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order. Our results assess the theoretical uncertainties from the many-body calculation and the chiral expansion. Using a Gaussian process emulator for the free energy, we derive the thermodynamic properties of matter through consistent derivatives and use the Gaussian process to access arbitrary proton fraction and temperature. This enables a first nonparametric calculation of the equation of state in beta equilibrium, and of the speed of sound and the symmetry energy at finite temperature. Moreover, our results show that the thermal part of the pressure decreases with increasing densities.

Nuclear Charge Radii of the Nickel Isotopes

Collinear laser spectroscopy is performed on the nickel isotopes ^{58-68,70}Ni, using a time-resolved photon counting system. From the measured isotope shifts, nuclear charge radii R_{c} are extracted and compared to theoretical results. Three ab initio approaches all employ, among others, the chiral interaction NNLO_{sat}, which allows an assessment of their accuracy. We find agreement with experiment in differential radii δ⟨r_{c}^{2}⟩ for all employed ab initio methods and interactions, while the absolute radii are consistent with data only for NNLO_{sat}. Within nuclear density functional theory, the Skyrme functional SV-min matches experiment more closely than the Fayans functional Fy(Δr,HFB).

Role of Chiral Two-Body Currents in

A direct measurement of the decay width of the excited 0_{1}^{+} state of ^{6}Li using the relative self-absorption technique is reported. Our value of Γ_{γ,0_{1}^{+}→1_{1}^{+}}=8.17(14)_{stat.}(11)_{syst.} eV provides sufficiently low experimental uncertainties to test modern theories of nuclear forces. The corresponding transition rate is compared to the results of ab initio calculations based on chiral effective field theory that take into account contributions to the magnetic dipole operator beyond leading order. This enables a precision test of the impact of two-body currents that enter at next-to-leading order.

Ab Initio Limits of Atomic Nuclei.

We predict the limits of existence of atomic nuclei, the proton and neutron drip lines, from the light through medium-mass regions. Starting from a chiral two- and three-nucleon interaction with good saturation properties, we use the valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group to calculate ground-state and separation energies from helium to iron, nearly 700 isotopes in total. We use the available experimental data to quantify the theoretical uncertainties for our ab initio calculations towards the drip lines. Where the drip lines are known experimentally, our predictions are consistent within the estimated uncertainty. For the neutron-rich sodium to chromium isotopes, we provide predictions to be tested at rare-isotope beam facilities.

Symmetric Nuclear Matter from the Strong Interaction.

We study the equation of state of symmetric nuclear matter at zero temperature over a wide range of densities using two complementary theoretical approaches. At low densities, up to twice nuclear saturation density, we compute the energy per particle based on modern nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon interactions derived within chiral effective field theory. For higher densities, we derive for the first time constraints in a Fierz-complete setting directly based on quantum chromodynamics using functional renormalization group techniques. We find remarkable consistency of the results obtained from both approaches as they come together in density and the natural emergence of a maximum in the speed of sound c_{S} at supranuclear densities. The presence of this maximum appears tightly connected to the formation of a diquark gap. Notably, this maximum is observed to exceed the asymptotic value c_{S}^{2}=1/3 while its exact position in terms of the density cannot yet be determined conclusively.

Polypharmacy and potential drug-drug interactions for people with HIV in the UK from the Climate-HIV database.

OBJECTIVES: People with HIV (PWHIV) are likely to need therapies for comorbidities as they age. We assessed risk of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in PWHIV. METHODS: The Climate-HIV electronic recording system was used to cross-sectionally analyse records from PWHIV aged ≥ 18 years attending four UK HIV units with a current antiretroviral (ARV) prescription in February 2018. Antiretroviral and non-ARV medications were categorized by clinical significance of DDIs (University of Liverpool DDI tool). Potential DDIs were predicted using treatment guidelines for commonly recorded comorbidities. RESULTS: Among 4630 PWHIV (44% female), 41% were ≥ 50 years old. The average number of non-ARV comedications increased from < 1 for patients aged ≤ 24 years to > 5 for patients aged ≥ 75 years; 65% were taking one or more non-ARV comedications. The median (interquartile range) number of non-ARVs was 1 (0-2) and 2 (1-5) for those aged < 50 and ≥ 50 years, respectively. Common comorbidities/concurrent health conditions occurred more frequently in patients aged ≥ 50 years vs. < 50 (53% vs. 34%). Boosted protease inhibitors were associated with the highest proportion of contraindicated comedications; dolutegravir and raltegravir had the fewest. For non-ARVs, sildenafil and quetiapine were most likely to result in DDIs. Guideline-recommended treatments for hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and tuberculosis had the highest proportions of contraindications when combined with ARV regimens, while treatments for hepatitis C, malignancy, and mental health conditions had the highest proportion of combinations potentially causing DDIs requiring dose monitoring or adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Non-ARV use by PWHIV is high and increases with age. Treatment decisions for ageing PWHIV should consider guideline recommendations for comorbidities.

Charge Radius of the Short-Lived

We present the first laser spectroscopic measurement of the neutron-rich nucleus ^{68}Ni at the N=40 subshell closure and extract its nuclear charge radius. Since this is the only short-lived isotope for which the dipole polarizability α_{D} has been measured, the combination of these observables provides a benchmark for nuclear structure theory. We compare them to novel coupled-cluster calculations based on different chiral two- and three-nucleon interactions, for which a strong correlation between the charge radius and dipole polarizability is observed, similar to the stable nucleus ^{48}Ca. Three-particle-three-hole correlations in coupled-cluster theory substantially improve the description of the experimental data, which allows to constrain the neutron radius and neutron skin of ^{68}Ni.

First Glimpse of the N=82 Shell Closure below Z=50 from Masses of Neutron-Rich Cadmium Isotopes and Isomers.

We probe the N=82 nuclear shell closure by mass measurements of neutron-rich cadmium isotopes with the ISOLTRAP spectrometer at ISOLDE-CERN. The new mass of ^{132}Cd offers the first value of the N=82, two-neutron shell gap below Z=50 and confirms the phenomenon of mutually enhanced magicity at ^{132}Sn. Using the recently implemented phase-imaging ion-cyclotron-resonance method, the ordering of the low-lying isomers in ^{129}Cd and their energies are determined. The new experimental findings are used to test large-scale shell-model, mean-field, and beyond-mean-field calculations, as well as the ab initio valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group.

Equation of State Effects in Core-Collapse Supernovae.

We investigate the impact of different properties of the nuclear equation of state in core-collapse supernovae, with a focus on the proto-neutron-star contraction and its impact on the shock evolution. To this end, we introduce a range of equations of state that vary the nucleon effective mass, incompressibility, symmetry energy, and nuclear saturation point. This allows us to point to the different effects in changing these properties from the Lattimer and Swesty to the Shen et al. equations of state, the two most commonly used equations of state in simulations. In particular, we trace the contraction behavior to the effective mass, which determines the thermal nucleonic contributions to the equation of state. Larger effective masses lead to lower pressures at nuclear densities and a lower thermal index. This results in a more rapid contraction of the proto-neutron star and consequently higher neutrino energies, which aids the shock evolution to a faster explosion.

78Ni revealed as a doubly magic stronghold against nuclear deformation.

Nuclear magic numbers correspond to fully occupied energy shells of protons or neutrons inside atomic nuclei. Doubly magic nuclei, with magic numbers for both protons and neutrons, are spherical and extremely rare across the nuclear landscape. Although the sequence of magic numbers is well established for stable nuclei, experimental evidence has revealed modifications for nuclei with a large asymmetry between proton and neutron numbers. Here we provide a spectroscopic study of the doubly magic nucleus 78Ni, which contains fourteen neutrons more than the heaviest stable nickel isotope. We provide direct evidence of its doubly magic nature, which is also predicted by ab initio calculations based on chiral effective-field theory interactions and the quasi-particle random-phase approximation. Our results also indicate the breakdown of the neutron magic number 50 and proton magic number 28 beyond this stronghold, caused by a competing deformed structure. State-of-the-art phenomenological shell-model calculations reproduce this shape coexistence, predicting a rapid transition from spherical to deformed ground states, with 78Ni as the turning point.

How Robust is the N=34 Subshell Closure? First Spectroscopy of

The first γ-ray spectroscopy of ^{52}Ar, with the neutron number N=34, was measured using the ^{53}K(p,2p) one-proton removal reaction at ∼210 MeV/u at the RIBF facility. The 2_{1}^{+} excitation energy is found at 1656(18) keV, the highest among the Ar isotopes with N>20. This result is the first experimental signature of the persistence of the N=34 subshell closure beyond ^{54}Ca, i.e., below the magic proton number Z=20. Shell-model calculations with phenomenological and chiral-effective-field-theory interactions both reproduce the measured 2_{1}^{+} systematics of neutron-rich Ar isotopes, and support a N=34 subshell closure in ^{52}Ar.

Chiral Interactions up to Next-to-Next-to-Next-to-Leading Order and Nuclear Saturation.

We present an efficient Monte Carlo framework for perturbative calculations of infinite nuclear matter based on chiral two-, three-, and four-nucleon interactions. The method enables the incorporation of all many-body contributions in a straightforward and transparent way, and makes it possible to extract systematic uncertainty estimates by performing order-by-order calculations in the chiral expansion as well as the many-body expansion. The versatility of this new framework is demonstrated by applying it to chiral low-momentum interactions, exhibiting a very good many-body convergence up to fourth order. Following these benchmarks, we explore new chiral interactions up to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N^{3}LO). Remarkably, simultaneous fits to the triton and to saturation properties can be achieved, while all three-nucleon low-energy couplings remain natural. The theoretical uncertainties of nuclear matter are significantly reduced when going from next-to-next-to-leading order to N^{3}LO.

Precision Mass Measurements of

The neutron-rich isotopes ^{58-63}Cr were produced for the first time at the ISOLDE facility and their masses were measured with the ISOLTRAP spectrometer. The new values are up to 300 times more precise than those in the literature and indicate significantly different nuclear structure from the new mass-surface trend. A gradual onset of deformation is found in this proton and neutron midshell region, which is a gateway to the second island of inversion around N=40. In addition to comparisons with density-functional theory and large-scale shell-model calculations, we present predictions from the valence-space formulation of the ab initio in-medium similarity renormalization group, the first such results for open-shell chromium isotopes.

Structure of the Lightest Tin Isotopes.

We link the structure of nuclei around ^{100}Sn, the heaviest doubly magic nucleus with equal neutron and proton numbers (N=Z=50), to nucleon-nucleon (NN) and three-nucleon (NNN) forces constrained by data of few-nucleon systems. Our results indicate that ^{100}Sn is doubly magic, and we predict its quadrupole collectivity. We present precise computations of ^{101}Sn based on three-particle-two-hole excitations of ^{100}Sn, and we find that one interaction accurately reproduces the small splitting between the lowest J^{π}=7/2^{+} and 5/2^{+} states.

Properties of Nuclei up to A=16 using Local Chiral Interactions.

We report accurate quantum Monte Carlo calculations of nuclei up to A=16 based on local chiral two- and three-nucleon interactions up to next-to-next-to-leading order. We examine the theoretical uncertainties associated with the chiral expansion and the cutoff in the theory, as well as the associated operator choices in the three-nucleon interactions. While in light nuclei the cutoff variation and systematic uncertainties are rather small, in ^{16}O these can be significant for large coordinate-space cutoffs. Overall, we show that chiral interactions constructed to reproduce properties of very light systems and nucleon-nucleon scattering give an excellent description of binding energies, charge radii, and form factors for all these nuclei, including open-shell systems in A=6 and 12.

Dawning of the N=32 Shell Closure Seen through Precision Mass Measurements of Neutron-Rich Titanium Isotopes.

A precision mass investigation of the neutron-rich titanium isotopes ^{51-55}Ti was performed at TRIUMF's Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear science (TITAN). The range of the measurements covers the N=32 shell closure, and the overall uncertainties of the ^{52-55}Ti mass values were significantly reduced. Our results conclusively establish the existence of the weak shell effect at N=32, narrowing down the abrupt onset of this shell closure. Our data were compared with state-of-the-art ab initio shell model calculations which, despite very successfully describing where the N=32 shell gap is strong, overpredict its strength and extent in titanium and heavier isotones. These measurements also represent the first scientific results of TITAN using the newly commissioned multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer, substantiated by independent measurements from TITAN's Penning trap mass spectrometer.

Electric Dipole Polarizability of

The electric dipole strength distribution in ^{48}Ca between 5 and 25 MeV has been determined at RCNP, Osaka from proton inelastic scattering experiments at forward angles. Combined with photoabsorption data at higher excitation energy, this enables the first extraction of the electric dipole polarizability α_{D}(^{48}Ca)=2.07(22) fm^{3}. Remarkably, the dipole response of ^{48}Ca is found to be very similar to that of ^{40}Ca, consistent with a small neutron skin in ^{48}Ca. The experimental results are in good agreement with ab initio calculations based on chiral effective field theory interactions and with state-of-the-art density-functional calculations, implying a neutron skin in ^{48}Ca of 0.14-0.20 fm.

Is a Trineutron Resonance Lower in Energy than a Tetraneutron Resonance?

We present quantum Monte Carlo calculations of few-neutron systems confined in external potentials based on local chiral interactions at next-to-next-to-leading order in chiral effective field theory. The energy and radial densities for these systems are calculated in different external Woods-Saxon potentials. We assume that their extrapolation to zero external-potential depth provides a quantitative estimate of three- and four-neutron resonances. The validity of this assumption is demonstrated by benchmarking with an exact diagonalization in the two-body case. We find that the extrapolated trineutron resonance, as well as the energy for shallow well depths, is lower than the tetraneutron resonance energy. This suggests that a three-neutron resonance exists below a four-neutron resonance in nature and is potentially measurable. To confirm that the relative ordering of three- and four-neutron resonances is not an artifact of the external confinement, we test that the odd-even staggering in the helium isotopic chain is reproduced within this approach. Finally, we discuss similarities between our results and ultracold Fermi gases.