In the recent decade, uncertainty quantification (UQ) has been seriously considered an integral aspect of the interface between theory and experiment in nuclear physics. This is because advancements in many-body methods, computing power, sophisticated theoretical methods, and the emergence of a new generation of experiments have ushered the entire discipline into the “precision era”. Experimental procedures that probe observables imprecisely, or not at all, require theoretical predictions with well-quantified error bars. This is also true for ongoing and future experiments that seek to probe observables accurately. In this regard, the employment of Bayesian approaches in theoretical predictions along with the developments of efficient emulators and machine learning have sparked a surge of interest in the field. These techniques are being used to i) access uncertainties in theoretical work on topics ranging from the nuclear many-body forces to lattice quantum chromodynamics to high-energy heavy-ion collisions, ii) forecast how future astrophysics and gravitational observations may affect the equation of state for neutron matter, iii) determine whether or not nucleon resonances are present in experimental data, and iv) develop more reliable nuclear-energy-density functionals to enable accurate extrapolations into nuclear terra incognita.
The purpose of this Research Topic is to bring together contributors who have established themselves as experts in uncertain quantification in nuclear physics and to collect articles detailing their work. Authors are requested to provide an overview of recent accomplishments in this topic and, more significantly, to identify future challenges and needs. Additionally, they are urged to include details about the formal elements of the methodologies they use in their investigations.
This Research Topic will provide a summary of the most recent, cutting-edge advancements in addressing uncertainty quantification in nuclear physics, with the goal of creating a reference book for practitioners and aspiring young scientists who want to get involved in this research area. We expect to cover the subjects of optimization problems in nuclear theory, Bayesian parameter estimation in nuclear-physics effective field theories, uncertainty quantification in calculations of structure and reactions of nuclear systems, uncertainty analysis in lattice quantum chromodynamics, uncertainty quantification in density functional theory applications, global fits and Bayesian inference in "Beyond the Standard Model" physics, uncertainties in parton distribution functions, dynamical modeling of heavy-ion reactions, and emulators as an efficient tool for uncertainty quantification.
Within this collection we accept both original work and review articles.
In the recent decade, uncertainty quantification (UQ) has been seriously considered an integral aspect of the interface between theory and experiment in nuclear physics. This is because advancements in many-body methods, computing power, sophisticated theoretical methods, and the emergence of a new generation of experiments have ushered the entire discipline into the “precision era”. Experimental procedures that probe observables imprecisely, or not at all, require theoretical predictions with well-quantified error bars. This is also true for ongoing and future experiments that seek to probe observables accurately. In this regard, the employment of Bayesian approaches in theoretical predictions along with the developments of efficient emulators and machine learning have sparked a surge of interest in the field. These techniques are being used to i) access uncertainties in theoretical work on topics ranging from the nuclear many-body forces to lattice quantum chromodynamics to high-energy heavy-ion collisions, ii) forecast how future astrophysics and gravitational observations may affect the equation of state for neutron matter, iii) determine whether or not nucleon resonances are present in experimental data, and iv) develop more reliable nuclear-energy-density functionals to enable accurate extrapolations into nuclear terra incognita.
The purpose of this Research Topic is to bring together contributors who have established themselves as experts in uncertain quantification in nuclear physics and to collect articles detailing their work. Authors are requested to provide an overview of recent accomplishments in this topic and, more significantly, to identify future challenges and needs. Additionally, they are urged to include details about the formal elements of the methodologies they use in their investigations.
This Research Topic will provide a summary of the most recent, cutting-edge advancements in addressing uncertainty quantification in nuclear physics, with the goal of creating a reference book for practitioners and aspiring young scientists who want to get involved in this research area. We expect to cover the subjects of optimization problems in nuclear theory, Bayesian parameter estimation in nuclear-physics effective field theories, uncertainty quantification in calculations of structure and reactions of nuclear systems, uncertainty analysis in lattice quantum chromodynamics, uncertainty quantification in density functional theory applications, global fits and Bayesian inference in "Beyond the Standard Model" physics, uncertainties in parton distribution functions, dynamical modeling of heavy-ion reactions, and emulators as an efficient tool for uncertainty quantification.
Within this collection we accept both original work and review articles.