In-medium baryon interactions and hypernuclear structure

Abstract

We introduce a microscopic and relativistic theory describing free scattering and finite nuclei for the octet baryons in a consistent quantum field theoretical framework based on Dirac–Brueckner theory and nuclear mean field. In a first quantitative approach, yet still heuristic for dealing with the Λ hyperon, the quality of the description of finite (hyper)nuclei based on free meson exchange potentials is competitive with those from purely phenomenological relativistic mean-field calculations. In contrast to the latter our approach has the advantage of having a microscopic link to free interactions and complete control of which classes of diagrams are included. As a complementary way for determining hyperon–hyperon and hyperon–nucleon interactions the use of Hanbury–Brown–Twiss interferometry is discussed.