Born-approximation amplitudes for pion production in heavy-ion collisions.

Abstract

Formal solutions of the second-order amplitude in the Born approximation to the quantal, microscopic, many-body problem of pion production from the collision of equal-mass nuclei are presented where {Delta}-hole states are created in the intermediate nuclear states. The form factors containing nuclear structure information are solved in terms of particle-hole coefficients which describe any intermediate particle-hole state, regardless of whether it is coherent or incoherent. In this approach, the important tensor term has been included. A semiquantitative analysis is carried out which gives an indication of the approximate conditions under which pion production may be maximized under the excitation of {Delta}-hole states by the transition-spin, -isospin, one-pion-exchange interaction.