Exact-exchange density functional theory for neutron drops

Abstract

We compute the ground-state properties of finite systems of neutrons in an\nexternal harmonic trap, interacting via the Minnesota potential, using the\n"exact-exchange" form of orbital-dependent density functional theory. We\ncompare our results with Hartree-Fock calculations and find very close\nagreement. Within the context of the interaction studied, we conclude that this\nsimple orbital-dependent functional brings conventional nuclear density\nfunctional theory to the level of Hartree-Fock in an ab initio fashion. Our\nwork is a first step towards higher-order ab initio nuclear functionals based\non realistic nucleon-nucleon interactions.\n