Mechanical properties of the nucleon in the chiral confining model. II -- in-medium evolution of the nucleon properties

This article is devoted to the study of the evolution of the properties of nucleons bound in nuclear matter within the framework of the chiral confining model. The in-medium nucleon trial states (either localized factorized wave functions or momentum-projected states) are determined by imposing the von Laue stability condition, according to the formal results established in a preliminary companion paper (labeled as I). The main results concern the response of the composite nucleon to the scalar field, as well as the respective roles of confinement and chiral symmetry breaking in the evolution of the in-medium nucleon mass. This evolution governs the repulsive three-body forces required for the nuclear saturation mechanism. We also analyze the modification of the energy density distribution and the pressure distribution inside the in-medium nucleon. We also draw some perspectives concerning the mapping between bound nucleon properties and the equation of state of dense matter as realized in the deep interior of neutron stars.