Ground-state energies, densities and momentum distributions in closed-shell nuclei calculated within a cluster expansion approach and realistic interactions

A linked cluster expansion suitable for the treatment of ground-state properties of complex nuclei, as well as of various particle-nucleus scattering processes, has been used to calculate the ground-state energy, density and momentum distribution of 16-O and 40-Ca using realistic interactions. First of all, a benchmark calculation for the ground-state energy has been performed using the truncated V8' potential, and consisting in the comparison of our results with the ones obtained by the Fermi Hypernetted Chain approach, adopting in both cases the same mean field wave functions and the same correlation functions. The results exhibited a nice agreement between the two methods. Therefore, the approach has been applied to the calculation of the ground-state energy, density and momentum distributions of 16-O and 40-Ca using the full V8' potential, finding again a satisfactory agreement with the results based on more advanced approaches where higher order cluster contributions are taken into account. It appears therefore that the cluster expansion approach can provide accurate approximations for various diagonal and non diagonal density matrices, so that it could be used for a reliable evaluation of nuclear effects in various medium and high energy scattering processes off nuclear targets. The developed approach can be readily generalized to the treatment of Glauber type final state interaction effects in inclusive, semi-inclusive and exclusive processes off nuclei at medium and high energies.