Accuracy and convergence of a variational theory of nuclear matter for v6 models

A number of higher-order terms in a previously proposed variational theory of nuclear matter are examined to establish the accuracy and convergence of the method. Numerical results for four semirealistic v6 model interaction, which include central, spin, isospin and tensor components, are reported. Although individual higher-order terms are substantial (> 1 MeV) they are much smaller than the corresponding lower-order terms, indicating good convergence of the theory. The higher-order terms also tend to cancel out, and three of the four v6 models show little net change in their E(ksub(F)) curves, compared to previous work. The method is believed to have an error <= 1 MeV for ksub(F) <= 1.6 fm-1. (orig.)