The information content of a new observable
Witek Nazarewicz (ORNL-USA)-GANIL seminar room 11h
GANIL Room 105
A coffee will be served 15 mn before
Nuclei communicate with us through a great variety of observables. Some are easy to measure, some take a considerable effort and experimental ingenuity. In this work, we show how to assess the uniqueness and usefulness of an observable, i.e., its information content with respect to current theoretical models. We also quantify the meaning of a correlation between different observables. The general concepts are illustrated by considering one particular observable of fundamental importance for nuclear physics and astrophysics: the radius of the neutron distribution of a heavy nucleus, a quantity related to the equation of state for neutron matter that determines properties of nuclei and neutron stars. By systematically varying parameters of theoretical models, we quantify the relationships between the neutron skin and various properties of finite nuclei and infinite nuclear
matter. We also show how precise experimental determination of the neutron radius in Pb-208 would reduce theoretical uncertainties on the neutron matter equation of state. The methodology used in this work should be of interest to any theoretical framework that contains parameters adjusted to measured data.
