Abstract
The basic ideas of the Brueckner-Goldstone theory of nuclear matter are presented in a simple way. The treatment is aimed at beginners and nonspecialists. It is supposed to provide the necessary background for the review article by Bethe and Rajaraman which follows this paper. Therefore, the discussion is limited to a few important topics, and these are considered in some detail.
The Goldstone expansion is presented (but not derived) and the construction and evaluation of the Goldstone diagrams are explained. The reaction matrix and the correlated two-body wave function are defined, and their properties are discussed. The reference-spectrum method for calculating the reaction matrix is derived, and its use is illustrated. Finally, the related topics of convergence and the definition of single-particle energies are considered. The choice of the single-particle potential energy for occupied states is treated in detail. (Intermediate-state energies will be discussed by Bethe and Rajaraman.) The reason for the divergence of the perturbation series for the binding energy is exhibited; and this series is rearranged into a convergent expansion, for which the density plays the role of small parameter.
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.39.719
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