A non-singular equation for the three-body scattering problem

Abstract

This paper derives a non-singular integral equation for the three-body problem. Starting from the three-body equations obtained by Karlsson and Zeiger we introduce a set of algebraic transformations that remove all the Green function pole singularities. For scattering energies on the real axis we find a singularity-free momentum-space integral equation. This equation requires only a finite range of momentum values for its solution. In the case of well-behaved two-body interactions, such as the superposition of Yukawa interactions, we prove that the kernels of this equation have a finite Hilbert-Schmidt norm. This same norm provides a general criteria for establishing when the impulse approximation is accurate.