arXiv:nucl-th/9702008·v1·Nuclear Theory
Structure of the Vacuum in Nuclear Matter - A Nonperturbative Approach
A. Mishra (1) · P.K. Panda (1) · S. Schramm (2) · J. Reinhardt(1) · W. Greiner(1) ((1) Institut für Theoretische Physik, J.W. Goethe Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; (2) Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany)
Abstract
We compute the vacuum polarisation 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. 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 polarisation effects.
Comments: 26 pages including 5 eps files, uses revtex style; PACS number: 21.65.+f,21.30.+y