Three-Particle Correlations in Nuclear Matter

Abstract

The Green's-function theories of nuclear matter have been extended to include three-particle correlations, with the result that one particular two-particle Green's-function theory, namely the ${\lambda }_{10}$ theory of Puff, Reiner, and Wilets and of Foster, is found to have the very desirable property that it contains all two-particle correlations. A case is built for expending some effort to calculate the nonperturbative ${\lambda }_{10}$ theory using realistic forces, in the hope of obtaining a value for the binding energy of nuclear matter close to the semiempirical value. Three-particle corrections to the "semirealistic" ${\lambda }_{10}$ calculation of Foster are found to be a few tenths of an MeV, in good agreement with Bethe's results.