Predictions of charge density distributions for nuclei with $Z \geq 8$

arXiv cs.LG / 4/17/2026

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Key Points

  • Researchers report a deep neural network (DNN) that predicts nuclear charge density distributions for nuclei with proton number Z ≥ 8 using physics-informed inputs.
  • The approach represents charge densities via a Fourier-Bessel (FB) series expansion and trains on a large dataset generated from relativistic continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov (RCHB) calculations.
  • The model significantly improves accuracy over conventional methods, achieving root-mean-square deviations of 0.0123 fm (training) and 0.0198 fm (validation) for charge radii.
  • The resulting high-precision predictions are positioned to support not only nuclear-physics research but also atomic physics and nuclear astrophysics applications.
  • The work suggests a path for replacing or accelerating parts of expensive RCHB-based computations with ML surrogates while preserving precision.

Abstract

A deep neural network (DNN) has been developed to accurately predict nuclear charge density distributions for nuclei with proton numbers Z \geq 8. By incorporating essential nuclear structure features, the model achieves a significant improvement in predictive accuracy over conventional methods. The charge density distributions are analyzed using a Fourier-Bessel (FB) series expansion, and the DNN is trained on a comprehensive dataset derived from relativistic continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov (RCHB) theory calculations. The model demonstrates exceptional performance, with root-mean-square deviations of 0.0123 fm and 0.0198 fm for charge radii on the training and validation sets, respectively, remarkably surpassing the precision of the original RCHB calculations. Beyond advancing nuclear physics research, this high-precision model provides critical data for applications in atomic physics, nuclear astrophysics, and related fields.