RELATIVISTIC TRANSPORT-THEORY OF N, DELTA, AND N-ASTERISK(1440) INTERACTING THROUGH SIGMA-MESON, OMEGA-MESON, AND PI-MESON

A self-consistent relativistic integral-differential equation of the B oltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck type for the N(1440) resonance is develope d based on an effective Lagrangian of baryons interacting through meso ns. The closed time-path Green's function technique and semiclassical, quasiparticle, and Born approximations are employed in the derivation . The nonequilibrium RBUU-type equation for the N(1440) is consistent with that of the nucleon's and delta's which we derived before. Thus, we obtain a set of coupled equations for the N, Delta, and N(1440) d istribution functions. All the N(1440)-relevant in-medium two-body sc attering cross sections within the N, Delta, and N(1440) system are d erived from the same effective Lagrangian in addition to the mean fiel d and presented analytically, which can be directly used in the study of relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The theoretical prediction of th e free pp-->pp(1440) cross section is in good agreement with the expe rimental data. We calculate the in-medium N+N-->N+N, N*+N-->N+N, and N+N-->N*+N cross sections in cold nuclear matter up to twice the nucl ear matter density. The results show that the density dependence of pr edicted in-medium cross sections is sensitive to the NN* coupling str engths used.