Many microscopic studies of both nuclear matter and s-shell nuclei have been undertaken with recently developed realistic models of the nucleon-nucleon interaction. These studies have proven to be very useful in enhancing our understanding of nuclear structure. Microscopic treatment of all but these lightest nuclei (A<5) has proven to be extraordinarily difficult, however, because of the strong spin-isospin dependence of the interaction. We have developed a new method of performing variational calculations with realistic interactions for larger nuclei. This method does not rely upon spin and spatial symmetries of the system, as in nuclear matter calculations, or upon explicit summation over all spin states, as has been done in s-shell nuclei. Instead spin-isospin states are sampled in a random walk which takes place in a combination of spin, isospin, and coordinate space. Results of calculations of the oxygen nucleus with a V6 interaction are reported, including energy, form factor, and charge distribution.

• Received 17 June 1985

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.32.2105