Exact calculation of three-body contact interaction to second order

Abstract

For a system of fermions with a three-body contact interaction the second-order contributions to the energy per particle $\bar E(k_f)$ are calculated exactly. The three-particle scattering amplitude in the medium is derived in closed analytical form from the corresponding two-loop rescattering diagram. We compare the (genuine) second-order three-body contribution to $\bar E(k_f)\sim k_f^{10}$ with the second-order term due to the density-dependent effective two-body interaction, and find that the latter term dominates. The results of the present study are of interest for nuclear many-body calculations where chiral three-nucleon forces are treated beyond leading order via a density-dependent effective two-body interaction.