Relativistic Hartree-Fock theory. Part I: density-dependent effective Lagrangians

Effective Lagrangians suitable for a relativistic Hartree-Fock description of nuclear systems are presented. They include the 4 effective mesons $\sigma, \omega, \rho$ and $\pi$ with density-dependent meson-nucleon couplings. The criteria for determining the model parameters are the reproduction of the binding energies in a number of selected nuclei, and the bulk properties of nuclear matter (saturation point, compression modulus, symmetry energy). An excellent description of nuclear binding energies and radii is achieved for a range of nuclei encompassing light and heavy systems. The predictions of the present approach compare favorably with those of existing relativistic mean field models, with the advantage of incorporating the effects of pion-nucleon coupling.