Single-particle potentials in asymmetric nuclear matter within the LOCV framework

Abstract

The single-particle potentials and effective masses of protons and neutrons in asymmetric nuclear matter are investigated within the lowest-order constrained variational (LOCV) method. The dependence of these quantities on momentum, density, and isospin asymmetry is studied using the $Reid68$ and $AV_{18}$ nucleon-nucleon interactions, with the effects of three-body forces also examined. The neutron and proton single-particle potentials exhibit a systematic splitting with increasing asymmetry, while their decomposition into different interaction channels identifies the dominant contributions to the in-medium interaction. The symmetry potential decreases with increasing momentum and shows a pronounced dependence on density and three-body forces, particularly at low momentum. The neutron-proton effective-mass splitting increases with asymmetry, with the neutron effective mass larger than the proton effective mass. The calculated symmetry potential is also compared with results from other microscopic and phenomenological approaches and with the empirically constrained Lane potential, showing a consistent decreasing trend with increasing kinetic energy. These results provide a microscopic, state-dependent single-particle potential for asymmetric nuclear matter, with its momentum, density, and asymmetry dependence determined directly from the underlying two and three-body interactions.