Possibility of choosing between different types of nucleon-nucleon interaction on the basis of data on hard bremsstrahlung in the process pp → ppγ at beam energies in the range 350–500 MeV

Abstract

Previously reported results on the differential cross sections for the process pp → ppγ occurring at beam-proton energies of 280, 350, and 450 MeV and involving the emission of hard photons are supplemented with the results of calculations at 400 and 500 MeV. The emerging pattern suggests that, in the energy range E 0=450–500 MeV, an experiment detecting hard photons from this reaction, in which case outgoing protons escape at small angles on the different sides of the beam direction, will be very sensitive to the type of nucleon-nucleon potential (meson-exchange potentials versus the Moscow potential). The energy of E 0=400 MeV is not optimal for this purpose because the sensitivity is higher even at E 0=350 MeV. The possibility of distinguishing between the types of nucleon-nucleon potentials through examining the transverse analyzing power A y (θ γ ), which reflects the correctness of taking into account spin effects, is studied. This analyzing power is found to exhibit comparatively small changes in response to introducing short-range oscillations in the S and P waves instead of the repulsive-core-induced vanishing of the wave function at small distances.