Continuum-continuum coupling and polarization potentials for weakly bound system

TL;DR

This paper examines how couplings among continuum states affect collision outcomes of weakly bound nuclei, revealing that these couplings modify polarization potentials and influence fusion, breakup, and elastic scattering cross sections.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of continuum-continuum couplings' effects on polarization potentials and collision cross sections using CDCC calculations.

Findings

Continuum-continuum couplings make the real polarization potential more repulsive.

Including these couplings results in weaker breakup channel absorption.

Neglecting continuum-continuum couplings may not significantly alter qualitative conclusions.

Abstract

We investigate the influence of couplings among continuum states in collisions of weakly bound nuclei. For this purpose, we compare cross sections for complete fusion, breakup and elastic scattering evaluated by continuum discretized coupled channel (CDCC) calculations, including and not including these couplings. In our study, we discuss this influence in terms of the polarization potentials that reproduce the elastic wave function of the coupled coupled channel method in single channel calculations. We find that the inclusion of couplings among the continuum states renders the real part of the polarization potential more repulsive, whereas it leads to weaker apsorption to the breakup channel. We show that the non-inclusion of continuum-continuum couplings in CDCC calculations may not lead to qualitative and quantitative wrong conclusions.