One-nucleon transfer reactions and the optical potential

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in the theoretical description of one-nucleon transfer reactions, emphasizing the role of nonlocal optical potentials and methods to quantify associated uncertainties.

Contribution

It compares phenomenological and dispersive optical potentials and discusses new developments for better uncertainty quantification in transfer reaction modeling.

Findings

Nonlocality significantly affects transfer reaction calculations.

Dispersive optical models provide alternative potentials.

Uncertainty quantification methods are advancing in reaction theory.

Abstract

We provide a summary of new developments in the area of direct reaction theory with a particular focus on one-nucleon transfer reactions. We provide a status of the methods available for describing (d,p) reactions. We discuss the effects of nonlocality in the optical potential in transfer reactions. The results of a purely phenomenological potential and the optical potential obtained from the dispersive optical model are compared; both point toward the importance of including nonlocality in transfer reactions explicitly. Given the large ambiguities associated with optical potentials, we discuss some new developments toward the quantification of this uncertainty. We conclude with some general comments and a brief account of new advances that are in the pipeline.