Nuclear symmetry energy and the PREX-CREX neutron skin puzzle within the KIDS framework

Abstract

I briefly review the KIDS theoretical framework for the nuclear equation of state (EoS) and energy density functional (EDF), I discuss recent results for the curvature parameter of the symmetry energy, and I address the PREX-CREX puzzle. I show that it is possible to obtain EDF models which can reproduce both PREX-II and CREX results each within its respective error bars. Such EDFs correspond to EoSs which soften towards low densities, as could be attributed to clusterization. Before such a scenario is considered viable, the dipole polarizability should also be examined.