Mean free path in nuclear matter from extended Brueckner theory

The nucleon mean free path in nuclear matter is studied within the framework of the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approximation extended to incorporate ground-state correlations. The ground state particle-hole excitations give rise to a partial opening of the Fermi sphere and to an enhancement of the mean free path above the Fermi surface. A comparison with the classical limit and the mean free path in neutron matter is discussed along with a simple prescription to include the isospin dependence.