Effective-range function methods for charged particle collisions

TL;DR

This paper compares various effective-range function methods for charged particle collisions, introduces a new derivation of the standard function, and explores the potential of the $ riangle_ ext{ell}$ function for analyzing low-energy scattering and bound states.

Contribution

It presents a novel derivation of the effective-range function from Coulomb wave functions and relates the $ riangle_ ext{ell}$ function to standard methods, enhancing analysis of low-energy charged collisions.

Findings

Successful computation of proton-proton resonant states using $ riangle_ ext{ell}$

Demonstration of $ riangle_ ext{ell}$'s usefulness for extrapolation below 12.5 keV

Verification of analytic properties of functions in the complex energy plane

Abstract

Different versions of the effective-range function method for charged particle collisions are studied and compared. In addition, a novel derivation of the standard effective-range function is presented from the analysis of Coulomb wave functions in the complex plane of the energy. The recently proposed effective-range function denoted as $\Delta_\ell$ [Phys. Rev. C 96, 034601 (2017)] and an earlier variant [Hamilton et al., Nucl. Phys. B 60, 443 (1973)] are related to the standard function. The potential interest of $\Delta_\ell$ for the study of low-energy cross sections and weakly bound states is discussed in the framework of the proton-proton ${}^1S_0$ collision. The resonant state of the proton-proton collision is successfully computed from the extrapolation of $\Delta_\ell$ instead of the standard function. It is shown that interpolating $\Delta_\ell$ can lead to useful extrapolation to negative energies, provided scattering data are known below one nuclear Rydberg energy (12.5 keV for the proton-proton system). This property is due to the connection between $\Delta_\ell$ and the effective-range function by Hamilton et al. that is discussed in detail. Nevertheless, such extrapolations to negative energies should be used with caution because $\Delta_\ell$ is not analytic at zero energy. The expected analytic properties of the main functions are verified in the complex energy plane by graphical color-based representations.