Optimizing the relativistic energy density functional with nuclear ground state and collective excitation properties

We introduce a new relativistic energy density functional constrained by the ground state properties of atomic nuclei along with the isoscalar giant monopole resonance energy and dipole polarizability in Pb-208. A unified framework of the relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov model and random phase approximation based on the relativistic density-dependent point coupling interaction is established in order to determine the DD-PCX parametrization by chi(2) minimization. This procedure is supplemented with the covariance analysis in order to estimate statistical uncertainties in the model parameters and observables. The effective interaction DD-PCX accurately describes the nuclear ground state properties including the neutron-skin thickness, as well as the isoscalar giant monopole resonance excitation energies and dipole polarizabilities. The implementation of the experimental data on nuclear excitations allows constraining the symmetry energy close to the saturation density, and the incompressibility of nuclear matter by using genuine observables on finite nuclei in the chi(2) minimization protocol, rather than using pseudo-observables on the nuclear matter, or by relying on the ground state properties only, as it has been customary in the previous studies.