In nuclear physics, ab initio methods seek to describe the atomic nucleus from the bottom up by solving the non-relativistic Schrödinger equation for all constituent nucleons and the forces between them.
Ab initio methods constitute a more fundamental approach compared to e.g. the nuclear shell model.
Recent progress has enabled ab initio treatment of heavier nuclei such as nickel.
[1] A significant challenge in the ab initio treatment stems from the complexities of the inter-nucleon interaction.
This effective field theory (EFT) includes all interactions compatible with the symmetries of QCD, ordered by the size of their contributions.