Towards hypernuclei from nuclear lattice effective field theory

Abstract

Understanding the strong interactions within baryonic systems beyond the up and down quark sector is pivotal for a comprehensive description of nuclear forces. This study explores the interactions involving hyperons, particularly the $$\varLambda $$ Λ particle, within the framework of nuclear lattice effective field theory (NLEFT). By incorporating $$\varLambda $$ Λ hyperons into the NLEFT framework, we extend our investigation into the $$S = -1$$ S = - 1 sector, allowing us to probe the third dimension of the nuclear chart. We calculate the $$\varLambda $$ Λ separation energies ($$B_{\varLambda }$$ B Λ ) of hypernuclei up to the medium-mass region, providing valuable insights into hyperon–nucleon (YN) and hyperon–nucleon–nucleon (YNN) interactions. Our calculations employ high-fidelity chiral interactions at N$$ ^3$$ 3 LO for nucleons and extend it to $$\varLambda $$ Λ hyperons with leading-order S-wave YN interactions as well as YNN forces constrained only by the $$A=4,5$$ A = 4 , 5 systems. Our results contribute to a deeper understanding of the SU(3) symmetry breaking and establish a foundation for future improvements in hypernuclear calculations.