Partial wave contributions to the antikaon potential at finite momentum

Abstract

The momentum dependence of the antikaon optical potential in nuclear matter is obtained from a microscopic and self-consistent calculation using the meson-exchange Jülich $\bar{K}N$ interaction. Two self-consistent schemes are discussed, which would lead to substantially different predictions for the width of $\bar{K}$ nuclear bound states. The effect of higher partial waves of the $\bar{K}N$ interaction, beyond the L=0 component, is studied and found to have moderate but non-negligible effects on the $\bar{K}$ nuclear potential at zero momentum. At momenta as large as 500 MeV/c, relevant in the analysis of heavy-ion collisions, the higher partial partial waves modify the $\bar{K}$ optical potential by nearly a factor of two.

20 pages, 7 figures