Uncertainty Quantified Predictions for Nuclear Astrophysics

A predictive theory of nuclear structural and reaction properties is desirable to aid in precisely determining thermonuclear reaction rates that play an important role in fusion-energy experiments, the predictions of stellar-evolution models, and simulations of nucleosynthetic processes. The ab initio no-core shell model with continuum (NCSMC) has enabled a wide range of predictive ab initio calculations of nucleon and deuteron-induced capture and fusion reactions in light nuclei and set the stage for providing ab initio informed evaluation, i.e., the combination of ab initio calculations with experimental data to arrive at recommended values with increased accuracy and reduced uncertainty. In this talk, I will present an ab initio informed evaluation of the radiative capture of protons by ⁷Be and discuss progress towards the extension of the NCSMC for clustering and reactions induced by α-particles and light p-shell nuclei.