Towards a consistent approach to nuclear structure: EFT of two- and many-body forces

Abstract

We review the nuclear forces currently in use, i.e., the high-precision NN potentials of the 1990's and the nuclear two- and many-body forces based upon chiral effective field theory (EFT). We argue that the EFT approach is superior to any of the older schemes. Since accurate chiral forces are available now, the stage is set for microscopic nuclear structure to move into a new exciting era.

10 pages, 2 figures; talk presented at the INT workshop "Nuclear Forces and the Quantum Many-Body Problem", Seattle, October 4-8, 2004