NUCLEAR GROUND-STATE PROPERTIES IN A RELATIVISTIC POINT COUPLING MODEL

We present initial results in the calculation of nuclear ground state properties in a relativistic Hartree approximation. Our model consists of Skyrme-type interactions in four-, six-, and eight-fermion point couplings in a manifestly nonrenormalizable Lagrangian, which also contains.derivative terms to simulate the finite ranges of the mesonic interactions. A self-consistent procedure has been developed to solve the model equations for several nuclei simultaneously by use of a generalized nonlinear least-squares adjustment algorithm. With this procedure we determine the nine coupling constants of our model so as to reproduce measured ground state binding energies, rms charge radii, and spin-orbit splittings of selected closed major shell and closed subshell nuclei in nondeformed regions. The coupling constants obtained in this way predict these same observables for a much larger set of closed shell spherical nuclei to good accuracy and also predict these quantities for similar nuclei far outside the valley of beta stability. Finally, they yield properties of saturated nuclear matter in agreement with recent relativistic mean meson field approaches.