Optical model potential analysis of $\bar nA$ and $nA$ interactions

TL;DR

This paper models antineutron and neutron interactions with various nuclei using an optical potential, successfully describing experimental annihilation cross sections and comparing them to neutron reactions, revealing differences and charge effects.

Contribution

It introduces a momentum-dependent optical model potential for analyzing $ar nA$ annihilation and $nA$ reactions, providing new insights into their cross section ratios and charge dependence.

Findings

Good agreement with experimental $ar nA$ annihilation data.

$ar nA$ annihilation cross sections are significantly larger than $nA$ reaction cross sections.

Predicted $ar pA$ annihilation cross sections based on optical potential assumptions.

Abstract

We use a momentum-dependent optical model potential to analyze the annihilation cross sections of antineutron $\bar n$ on C, Al, Fe, Cu, Ag, Sn, and Pb nuclei for projectile momenta $p_{\rm lab}$ $\lesssim$ 500 MeV/$c$. We obtain good description of annihilation cross sections data of Barbina {\it et al.} [Nucl.~Phys.~A {\bf 612}, ~346~(1997)] and of Astrua {\it et al.} [Nucl.~Phys.~A {\bf 697},~209~(2002)] which exhibit an interesting dependence of the cross sections on the $p_{\rm lab}$ as well as on the target atomic mass number $A$. We also obtain the neutron ($n$) non-elastic reaction cross sections for the same targets. Contrasting the $nA$ reaction cross sections $\sigma^{nA}_{\rm rec}$ to the $\bar nA$ annihilation cross sections $\sigma^{\bar nA}_{\rm ann}$, we find the $\sigma^{\bar nA}_{\rm ann}$ is significantly larger than the $\sigma^{nA}_{\rm rec}$, that is, the $\sigma^{\bar nA}_{\rm ann}$/$\sigma^{nA}_{\rm rec}$ cross section ratio lies between the values of order 1.8 and 3.8 in the momentum region where comparison is possible. The dependence of the annihilation cross section on the projectile charge is also examined in comparison with antiproton $\bar p$. Here we predict the $\bar pA$ annihilation cross section on the simplest assumption that both $\bar pA$ and $\bar nA$ interactions have the same nuclear part of the optical model potential but differs only on the electrostatic Coulomb interaction. Deviation from such simple model extrapolation in measurements will provide new information on the difference between $\bar nA$ and $\bar pA$ potentials.