The properties of \bar{K} in the nuclear medium

Abstract

The self-energy of the K^- meson in nuclear matter is calculated in a self-consistent microscopic approach, using a \bar{K}N interaction obtained from the lowest-order meson-baryon chiral Lagrangian. The effective \bar{K}N interaction in the medium is derived by solving the coupled-channel Bethe-Salpeter equation including Pauli blocking on the nucleons, mean-field binding potentials for the baryons and the self-energy of the \pi and \bar{K} mesons. The incorporation of the self-consistent {\bar K} self-energy in the description, in addition to the Pauli blocking effects, yields a weaker attractive in-medium {\bar K}N interaction and a \Lambda(1405) which dissolves faster with increasing matter density, as a result of the {\bar K} spectral function being spread out over a wide range of energies. These effects are further magnified when the intermediate pions are dressed.