Coupled-channels calculations of nonelastic cross sections using a density-functional structure model

TL;DR

This paper presents a microscopic coupled-channels approach to calculate nonelastic cross sections in nucleon-nucleus scattering, explicitly coupling elastic, particle-hole, and pickup channels, achieving excellent agreement with experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a novel microscopic method coupling all relevant channels using a density-functional structure model, accurately predicting reaction cross sections.

Findings

Couplings to pickup channels significantly affect cross sections.

Inelastic couplings are negligible in this energy range.

The method accurately reproduces experimental reaction cross sections.

Abstract

A microscopic calculation of the reaction cross-section for nucleon-nucleus scattering has been performed by explicitly coupling the elastic channel to all particle-hole (p-h) excitation states in the target and to all one-nucleon pickup channels. The p-h states may be regarded as doorway states through which the flux flows to more complicated configurations, and subsequently to long-lived compound nucleus resonances. Target excitations for 40,48Ca, 58Ni, 90Zr and 144Sm were described in a QRPA framework using a Skyrme functional. Reaction cross sections calculated in this approach were compared to predictions of a fitted optical potential and to experimental data, reaching very good agreement. Couplings between inelastic states were found to be negligible, while the couplings to pickup channels contribute significantly. For the first time observed reaction cross-sections are completely accounted for by explicit channel coupling, for incident energies between 10 and 40 MeV.