Testing Nucleon–nucleon Potentials in Three- and Four-nucleon Scattering Observables

Abstract

We present a theoretical study of three- and four-nucleon continuum within the hyperspherical harmonics method, using a representative variety of realistic nucleon–nucleon potential models, i.e. one of phenomenological type, the Argonne v18 (AV18), one obtained within chiral effective field theory up to next-to-next-to-next-leading order, the Idaho N3LO (I-N3LO), and a “low-k” model derived from the CD-Bonn potential. In particular, the convergence pattern for the four-nucleon system is found to be problematic for the P-waves phase-shifts in the case of the AV18 potential at higher energies. An extrapolation procedure is presented and discussed. Finally, we present the theoretical results for p−d and p−3 scattering observables at two selected energies, and we compare these with the available experimental data. In particular, some spread in the unpolarized cross section and in some polarization observables has been observed using the three potential models, in particular for A = 4. Furthermore the well known discrepancy in the vector polarization observables remains for the three potential models.