Hole states in nuclei and the continuum shell model

Abstract

The hole spectral function which determines the cross section of direct nucleon removal processes is studied in the framework of the continuum shell model with residual interactions. An expression for the spectral function is derived which covers both the bound and continuous parts of the hole spectrum and allows for an exact inclusion of all correlations (except for continuum-continuum coupling) in a restricted space of shell-model configurations. The shell-model approach is compared to the Green function formulation of the spectral function, and some formal relationships between both formulations are established. The results of previous calculations of the spectral function via a second-order mass operator are discussed in the light of the shell-model formalism.