Kaon Condensation and Lambda-Nucleon Loop in the Relativistic Mean-Field Approach

The possibility of kaon condensation in high-density symmetric nuclear matter is investigated including both s- and p-wave kaon-baryon interactions within the relativistic mean-field (RMF) theory. Above a certain density, we have a collective ${\bar K}_s$ state carrying the same quantum numbers as the antikaon. The appearance of the ${\bar K}_s$ state is caused by the time component of the axial-vector interaction between kaons and baryons. It is shown that the system becomes unstable with respect to condensation of $K$-${\bar K}_s$ pairs. We consider how the effective baryon masses affect the kaon self-energy coming from the time component of the axial-vector interaction. Also, the role of the spatial component of the axial-vector interaction on the possible existence of the collective kaonic states is discussed in connection with $\Lambda$-mixing effects in the ground state of high-density matter. Implications of $K{\bar K}_s$ condensation for high-energy heavy-ion collisions are briefly mentioned.