Nuclear Saturation: A Generalized Hartree-Fock Method

The Hartree self-consistent method is generalized to apply to a system with strong two-body correlations. The generalized Hartree method is shown to be equivalent to solving a self-consistent equation for the mutual interaction of two particles moving in average fields together with a Hartree-Fock variational problem. In this form the method is equivalent to, and provides a simple explanation of, the nuclear saturation procedure used by Brueckner, Levinson, and Mahmoud.