From homogeneous matter to finite nuclei: Role of the effective mass

Recent astronomical observations, nuclear-reaction experiments, and microscopic calculations have placed new constraints on the nuclear equation of state (EoS) and revealed that most nuclear-structure models fail to satisfy those constraints upon extrapolation to infinite matter. A reverse procedure for imposing EoS constraints on nuclear structures has been elusive. Here, we present for the first time a method to generate a microscopic energy density functional (EDF) for nuclei from a given immutable EoS. The method takes advantage of a natural ansatz for homogeneous nuclear matter, the Kohn-Sham framework, and the Skyrme formalism. We apply it to the nuclear EoS of Akmal-Pandharipande-Ravenhall and describe successfully closed-(sub)shell nuclei. In the process, we provide predictions for the neutron-skin thickness of nuclei based directly on the given EoS. Crucially, bulk and static nuclear properties are found practically independent of the assumed effective mass value---a unique result in bridging EDF of finite and homogeneous systems in general.