Deuteron breakup by α-particles at 13,15 and 18 MeV

Abstract

Kinematically complete measurements on the D(α, αp)n reaction have been made at three low energies for the incident α-particle and for a number of coplanar angular combinations at each energy. The experimental data, which thus cover a substantial phase space volume, provide material for a severe test of low-energy reaction theories. The data have been analysed in a three-body model, which relies on the numerical solution of the Faddeev equations in momentum space. Rank-one separable two-body potentials for the alpha-nucleon and nucleon-nucleon systems have served as the input information. Agreement between calculated and measured cross sections ranges from excellent to rather poor. Due to the strong effect of the Coulomb correction, which at present is quite uncertain, the appearance of cases with excellent agreement may be fortuitous. The variation of on-shell properties of the two-body potentials produce small changes in the cross sections, implying that more refined models must be employed to achieve good agreement, for instance, the explicit inclusion of effects due to the Pauli principle. However, before firm conclusions in this respect can be drawn, much greater confidence has to be gained in how to treat the Coulomb interaction in few-body breakup reactions.