Ab initio lattice calculation of nuclear magnetic dipole moments with systematic error quantifications

Abstract

Nuclear magnetic moments are sensitive probes of nuclear structure. However, their accurate quantitative description poses significant challenges, demanding both accurate nuclear and electromagnetic interactions as well as rigorous control of algorithmic uncertainties. Here, we present the first systematic calculation of magnetic dipole moments for selected light nuclei and aluminum isotopes within nuclear lattice effective field theory (NLEFT), an \textit{ab initio} framework applicable to medium-mass and heavy nuclei. Our calculations employ a lattice next-to-next-to-next-to-leading-order (N$^3$LO) chiral interaction together with electromagnetic currents consistently derived up to the two-body level. To achieve controlled predictions, we incorporate recently developed NLEFT algorithms and perform a comprehensive assessment of algorithmic uncertainties. Within the estimated uncertainties, our results are in good overall agreement with experiment and demonstrate that two-body currents are essential for reproducing the observed magnetic moments. We further benchmark our predictions against other \textit{ab initio} calculations for light nuclei ($A\leq12$). Our work establishes a solid foundation for \textit{ab initio} studies of electroweak observables using methods that scale efficiently to medium-mass and heavy nuclei while demonstrating state-of-the-art accuracy.