Analysis of the strengths of the contact potential at N4LO through nuclear and neutron matter

Abstract

We examine the contact three-nucleon force at N4LO expressed as a density dependent potential. In Ref. [1], the necessary couplings (13, including two that appear in the leading three-nucleon force), were extracted from nd scattering observables. The contact strengths obtained through the three-nucleon continuum, without fits to the triton, seem incompatible with the energy of nuclear and neutron matter. We take the opportunity to revisit the role of the cD, cE couplings of the leading three-nucleon force in nuclear matter and nuclei. We close with a discussion about recent fittings of three-nucleon scattering observables using a spectroscopic basis for the subleading contact three-nucleon force.

Section V has been added, with a discussion about arXiv:2607.26958 and arXiv:2601.19033. 10 pages, 6 figures