The Optical Model Analysis Of Elastic Scattering And Direct Nuclear Interactions

The nucleon optical model is widely used to calculate the elastic scattering cross-sections and polarisations for the interaction of neutrons and protons with atomic nuclei. The optical model potentials not only describe the scattering but also provide the wave functions needed to analyse a wide range of nuclear reactions. They also unify many aspects of nuclear reactions and nuclear structure. This book consists of a comprehensive introduction to the subject and a selection of papers by the author describing the optical model in detail. It contains full references to the original literature with many examples of the application of the model to the analysis of experimental data.

Separate abstracts were prepared for 36 of the 39 papers included. Three other papers on multiparticle excitation in the intermediate compound state, calcium-41 and calcium-49 shell-model levels, and (p,t) and (helium-4, helium-6) reactions on magnesium-26 were previously abstracted in Nuclear Science Abstracts.

Direct Nuclear Reactions deals with the theory of direct nuclear reactions, their microscopic aspects, and their effect on the motions of the individual nucleons. The principal results of the theory are described, with emphasis on the approximations involved to understand how well the theory can be expected to hold under specific experimental conditions. Applications to the analysis of experiments are also considered. This book consists of 19 chapters and begins by explaining the difference between direct and compound nuclear reactions. The reader is then introduced to the theory of plane waves, some results of scattering theory, and the phenomenological optical potential. The following chapters focus on form factors and their nuclear structure content; the basis of the optical potential as an effective interaction; reactions such as inelastic single- and two-nucleon transfer reactions; the effect of nuclear correlations; and the role of multiple-step reactions. The theory of inelastic scattering and the relationship between the effective and free interactions are also discussed, along with reactions between heavy ions and the polarizability of nuclear wave functions during a heavy-ion reaction. This monograph will be of interest to nuclear physicists.

Describes how the processes in stars which produce the chemical elements for planets and life may be reproduced in laboratories.