Constraining Nuclear Matter from Finite Nuclei: the Ab Initio Perspective

Overview & Synopsis

This review surveys recent developments in ab initio calculations of finite nuclei aimed at constraining the nuclear matter equation of state. Particular emphasis is placed on observables that connect finite-nucleus structure to bulk properties of nuclear matter, including neutron-skin thicknesses, electric dipole polarizabilities, and monopole sum rules. We discuss how neutron skins and dipole polarizabilities provide information on the density dependence of the symmetry energy, while monopole observables constrain the incompressibility of nuclear matter.