Properties of nuclear and neutron matter in a relativistic Hartree-Fock theory

Relativistic Hartree-Fock (HF) equations are derived for an infinite system of mesons and baryons in the framework of a renormalizable relativistic quantum field theory. The derivation is based on a diagrammatic approach and Dyson's equation for the baryon propagator. The result is a set of coupled, nonlinear integral equations for the baryon self-energy with a self-consistency condition on the single-particle spectrum. The HF equations are solved for nuclear and neutron matter in the Walecka model, which contains neutral scalar and vector mesons. After renormalizing model parameters to reproduce nuclear matter saturation properties, HF results at low to moderate densities are similar to those in the mean-field (Hartree) approximation. Self-consistent exchange corrections to the Hartree equation of state become negligible at high densities. Rho- and pi-meson exchanges are incorporated using a renormalizable gauge-theory model. A chiral transformation of the lagrangian is used to replace the pseudoscalar πN coupling with a pseudovector coupling, for which one-pion exchange is a reasonable first approximation. This transformation maintains the model's renormalizability so that corrections may be evaluated. Pion exchange has a small effect on the HF results of the Walecka model and brings HF results in closer agreement with the mean-field theory. The diagrammatic techniques used here retain the mesonic degrees of freedom and are simple enough to be extended to more refined self-consistent approximations.