Structure of the vacuum in nuclear matter: A nonperturbative approach
- Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, J.W. Goethe Universitaet, Robert Mayer-Strasse 10, Postfach 11 19 32, D-60054 Frankfurt/Main (Germany)
- Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung (GSI), Planckstrasse 1, Postfach 110 552, D-64220 Darmstadt (Germany)
We compute the vacuum polarization correction to the binding energy of nuclear matter in the Walecka model using a nonperturbative approach. We first study such a contribution as arising from a ground-state structure with baryon-antibaryon condensates. This yields the same results as obtained through the relativistic Hartree approximation of summing tadpole diagrams for the baryon propagator. Such a vacuum is then generalized to include quantum effects from meson fields through scalar-meson condensates which amounts to summing over a class of multiloop diagrams. The method is applied to study properties of nuclear matter and leads to a softer equation of state giving a lower value of the incompressibility than would be reached without quantum effects. The density-dependent effective {sigma} mass is also calculated including such vacuum polarization effects. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
- OSTI ID:
- 542307
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review, C, Vol. 56, Issue 3; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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