UNIFIED THEORY OF NUCLEAR REACTIONS

Journal Article · Mon Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1958 · Annals of Physics (New York) (U.S.)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-4916(58)90007-1· OSTI ID:4272316

Feshbach, H

A new formulation of the theory of nuclear reactions based on the properties of a generalized ""optical'' potential is presented. The real and imaginary part of this potential satisfy a dispersion type relation while its poles give rise to resonances in nuclear reactions. A new derivation of the Breit-Wigner formula is given in which the concept of channel radius is not employed. This derivation is extended to the case of overlapping resonances. These results can then be employed to obtain the complex potential well model for pure elastic scattering. Thls potential well is shown to become real as the average width of the resonances increases. Reactions as well as elastlc scattering are treated. Considering the former process in an isolated resonance, we obtain a nonresonat term analogous to the famillar potential scattering term of elastic scattering. This is just the direct lateraction term which thus appears automatically in this formalism. Upon performing the appropriate energy averages over resonances, the complex potential well model is generalized so as to include inelastic scattering. The effects of the identity of nucleons is investigated. It is shown that our formalism is valid as long as the exit channels can at most contain one nucleon. (auth)

• Research Organization: Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge
• NSA Number: NSA-13-003352
• OSTI ID: 4272316
• Journal Information: Annals of Physics (New York) (U.S.), Journal Name: Annals of Physics (New York) (U.S.) Vol. Vol: 5; ISSN APNYA
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BREIT-WIGNER FORMULA
CROSS SECTIONS
DISPERSION RELATIONS
ELASTIC SCATTERING
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY
FIELD THEORY
INTERACTIONS
MATHEMATICS
NEUTRONS
NUCLEAR MODELS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEONS
OPTICAL MODEL
PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS
QUANTUM MECHANICS
RESONANCE
SCATTERING
SCATTERING AMPLITUDE