Self-Consistent Relativistic Calculation of Nucleon Mean Free Path

We present a fully self-consistent and relativistic calculation of the nucleon mean free path in nuclear matter and finite nuclei. Starting from the Bonn potential, the Dirac-Brueckner-Hartree-Fock results for nuclear matter are parametrized in terms of an effective $\sigma$-$\omega$ Lagrangian suitable for the relativistic density-dependent Hartree-Fock (RDHF) approximation. The nucleon mean free path in nuclear matter is derived from this effective Lagrangian taking diagrams up to fourth-order into account. For the nucleon mean free path in finite nuclei, we make use of the density determined by the RDHF calculation in the local density approximation. Our microscopic results are in good agreement with the empirical data and predictions by Dirac phenomenology.Comment: 16 pages RevTex and 6 figures (paper, available upon request from [email protected]) UI-NTH-931