Relativistic description of nuclear systems in the Hartree-Fock approximation

The structure of infinite nuclear matter and finite nuclei is studied in the framework of the relativistic Hartree-Fock approximation. Particular attention is paid to the contribution of isovector mesons ({π},{ρ}). A satisfactory description of binding energies and densities can be obtained for light as well as heavy nuclei. The spin-orbit splittings are well reproduced. Connections with nonrelativistic formulations are also discussed.