  We present the first ab initio calculations of nuclear ground states up into
the domain of heavy nuclei, spanning the range from 16-O to 132-Sn based on
two- plus three-nucleon interactions derived within chiral effective field
theory. We employ the similarity renormalization group for preparing the
Hamiltonian and use coupled-cluster theory to solve the many-body problem for
nuclei with closed sub-shells. Through an analysis of theoretical uncertainties
resulting from various truncations in this framework, we identify and eliminate
the technical hurdles that previously inhibited the step beyond medium-mass
nuclei, allowing for reliable validations of nuclear Hamiltonians in the heavy
regime. Following this path we show that chiral Hamiltonians qualitatively
reproduce the systematics of nuclear ground-state energies up to the
neutron-rich Sn isotopes.
