Relativistic corrections to the correlated basis function effective nuclear Hamiltonian

Abstract

We discuss the inclusion of relativistic boost corrections into the correlated basis function effective nuclear Hamiltonian, derived from a realistic model of two- and three-nucleon interactions using the formalism of correlated basis functions and the cluster expansion technique. Different procedures to take into account the effects of boost interactions are compared on the basis of the ability to reproduce the nuclear matter equation of state obtained from accurate quantum many-body calculations. Furthermore, the results of our study show that the repulsive contribution of the boost interaction significantly depends on the underlying model of the nonrelativistic potential. On the other hand, the dominant relativistic correction turns out to be the corresponding reduction of the strength of repulsive three-nucleon interactions, leading to a significant softening of the equation of state of nuclear matter at supranuclear densities.