Slope parameter of the symmetry energy and the structure of three-particle interactions in nuclear matter

Abstract

In the first part of this paper, we present a study of the symmetry energy ($a_s$) and its slope parameter ($L$) for nuclear matter in the framework of the Fermi liquid theory of Landau and Migdal. We derive an exact relation between $a_s$ and $L$, which involves the nucleon effective masses and three-particle Landau-Migdal parameters. We present simple estimates which suggest that there are two main mechanisms to explain the empirical values of $L$: The proton-neutron effective mass difference in isospin asymmetric matter and the $\ell=0$ moment of the isovector in-medium three-particle scattering amplitude. In the second part of this paper, we discuss the general structure of three-particle interactions in nuclear matter in the framework of the Fermi liquid theory. The connections to the Bethe-Brueckner-Goldstone theory and other approaches are also discussed. We show explicitly how the first few terms in the Faddeev series, together with medium induced three-particle interactions, emerge naturally in the Fermi liquid theory.