Toward relativistic mean-field description of N¯–nucleus reactions

In this work we study the antinucleon–nucleus optical potential in the framework of the non-linear derivative (NLD) model with momentum dependent mean-fields. We apply the NLD model to interaction of antinucleons (N¯) in nuclear matter and, in particular, to antiproton scattering on nuclei. In nuclear matter a strong suppression of the N¯-optical potential at rest and at high kinetic energies is found and caused by the momentum dependence of relativistic mean-fields. The NLD results are consistent with known empirical N¯–nucleus observations and agree well with antiproton–nucleus scattering data. This makes the NLD approach compatible with both, nucleon and antinucleon Dirac phenomenologies. Furthermore, in nuclear matter an effective mass splitting between nucleons and antinucleons is predicted.