Reconsideration of Wigner’s Supermultiplet Symmetry

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this ‘Reconsideration of Wigner’s Supermultiplet Symmetry’, which Wigner advanced in 1937, and for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Nuclear Physics in 1963, is first to take a cursory look back at physics-related issues and competing priorities of that (WW-I & WW-II) dominated period, since in retrospect it seems Wigner’s Supermultiplet Symmetry (respectfully denoted WSS in all that follows) is an example of a theory that seems to have been proffered ‘ahead of its time’. Secondly, to reflect on what has transpired over the follow-on decades of the Cold-War Era (1950s through 1980s); specifically, regarding the role that the WSS played (or did not play) across that period. And thirdly, to review the transformational changes of the late 1980s into the 1990s, and thereafter that came with the availability of high-performance supercomputing facilities and advanced algorithmic developments that opened new doors for the testing of more sophisticated models of nuclear structure which ultimately, at the onset of the 21st Century, led to the development of what was christened the ‘no-core’ shell-model (NCSM) by its developers. Shortly afterward, this was followed by the release of a symmetry-adapted version (SA-NCSM) of the NCSM, both of which have been advanced further over the ensuing years for carrying out ever more realistic, forefront ab initio shell-model calculations. Most recently, based upon the lessons learned through the creation, deployment, and updating of the SA-NCSM, it seems it should now be possible to address any and all of the remaining issues that stand in the way of establishing a truly 21st Century Shell-Model Theory that meets most, and perhaps even all, of the expectations that Wigner seemed to envision in his 1937 proffering of the WSS concept.