Justification of a Simple Ramsauer Model for Neutron Total Cross Sections

Abstract

The simple nuclear Ramsauer model has been used successfully to fit neutron total cross sections for more than four decades but has not been widely used because the foundations of the model seem so unrealistic. A diffraction model calculation with the inclusion of refraction and optical model calculations are shown to validate the use of this simple nuclear Ramsauer model for neutron total cross sections in the neutron energy region of 6 to 60 MeV. This model yields a simple formula for parameterizing the energy dependence of the neutron total cross section.