Sign-Problem-Free Nuclear Quantum Monte Carlo Simulation

Abstract

Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods offer exact solutions for quantum many-body systems but face severe limitations in fermionic systems like atomic nuclei due to the sign problem. While sign-problem-free QMC algorithms exist and provide valuable insights across disciplines, they have been restricted to simple models with limited quantitative predictive power. Here we overcome this barrier by developing a novel lattice nuclear force that is rigorously sign-problem-free for even-even nuclei. This interaction achieves a standard deviation of $\sigma =2.932$ MeV from experimental binding energies for 76 even-even nuclei ($N,Z\le 28$), matching state-of-the-art phenomenological mean-field models. Key innovations include the first sign-problem-free implementation of spin-orbit coupling for shell evolutions and an efficient QMC-optimized framework for global parameter fitting. Using this approach, we compute binding energies from ${}^4$He to ${}^{132}$Sn with unprecedented one-thousandth level numerical precision, reproduce symmetric nuclear matter saturation, and reveal novel spin-orbit-driven clustering in light nuclei. This work transforms sign-problem-free QMC into a scalable and predictive nuclear structure tool, while establishing a high-fidelity, non-perturbative foundation for \textit{ab initio} calculations of heavy nuclei.

7 pages, 4 figures and 1 table, 25 pages supplemental materials combined. Accepted for publication in PRL

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Cited by in corpus (2)

• Searching for the Tetraneutron Resonance on the Lattice
• Efficient emulation of nuclear ground states with neural-network variational Monte Carlo and eigenvector continuation