Nuclear effective field theory: Status and perspectives

The nuclear-physics landscape has been redesigned as a sequence of effective field theories (EFTs) connected to the standard model through symmetries and lattice simulations of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). EFTs in this sequence are expansions around different low-energy limits of QCD, each with its own characteristics, scales, and ranges of applicability regarding energy and number of nucleons. The three main nuclear EFTs-chiral, pionless, and halo/cluster-are reviewed, highlighting their similarities, differences, and connections. The structural properties and reactions of nuclei that have been derived from the ab initio solution of the few- and many-body problem built upon EFT input are surveyed.