A Predictive Theory for Elastic Scattering and Recoil of Protons from ${}^4$He

Abstract

Low-energy cross sections for elastic scattering and recoil of protons from ${}^4$He nuclei (also known as $\alpha$ particles) are calculated directly by solving the Schrödinger equation for five nucleons interacting through accurate two- and three-nucleon forces derived within the framework of chiral effective field theory. Precise knowledge of these processes at various proton backscattering/recoil angles and energies is needed for the ion-beam analysis of numerous materials, from the surface layers of solids, to thin films, to fusion-reactor materials. Indeed, the same elastic scattering process, in two different kinematic configurations, can be used to probe concentrations and depth profiles of either hydrogen or helium. We compare our results to available experimental data and show that direct calculations with modern nuclear potentials can help to resolve remaining inconsistencies among different data sets and can be used to predict these cross sections when measurements are not available.

5 pages, 5 figures

References in corpus (10)

• Similarity Renormalization Group for Nucleon-Nucleon Interactions
• Local three-nucleon interaction from chiral effective field theory
• Three-Nucleon Low-Energy Constants from the Consistency of Interactions and Currents in Chiral Effective Field Theory
• Ab Initio Many-Body Calculations of n-3H, n-4He, p-{3,4}He, and n-10Be Scattering
• Evolution of Nuclear Many-Body Forces with the Similarity Renormalization Group
• Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of neutron-alpha scattering
• Unified ab initio approach to bound and unbound states: no-core shell model with continuum and its application to 7He
• Evolving Nuclear Many-Body Forces with the Similarity Renormalization Group
• The Unitary Correlation Operator Method from a Similarity Renormalization Group Perspective
• Coulomb interactions within Halo Effective Field Theory

Cited by in corpus (10)

• Symmetry-guided large-scale shell-model theory
• Unified description of ${}^6$Li structure and deuterium-${}^4$He dynamics with chiral two- and three-nucleon forces
• Shell Model States in the Continuum
• Quantifying uncertainties in neutron-alpha scattering with chiral nucleon-nucleon and three-nucleon forces
• Continuum and Three-Nucleon Force Effects on 9Be Energy Levels
• Exploring experimental conditions to reduce uncertainties in the optical potential
• Efficacy of the symmetry-adapted basis for ab initio nucleon-nucleus interactions for light- and intermediate-mass nuclei
• Alpha-alpha scattering in the Multiverse
• Nuclear Resonances, Scattering and Reactions from First Principles: Progress and Prospects
• Quantifying uncertainties due to irreducible three-body forces in deuteron-nucleus reactions