Inelastic Scattering Based on a Microscopic Description of Nuclei

Abstract

The inelastic scattering of nucleons and light nuclides from nuclei is formulated in terms of a general central two-body interaction between the scattered particle and the nucleons of the nucleus, whose motions are described by detailed shell-model wave functions. Form factors based on this microscopic description are obtained as closed expressions. The theory is applied to proton scattering from the even nickel isotopes. The constructive coherence in the transition to the collective ${2}^{+}$ state leads to a form factor having the general shape of that used in the macroscopic description of collective motion. Unenhanced transitions, in contrast, are characterized by a variety not present in the macroscopic description. Nucleon scattering as here calculated is sensitive to the details constituting this variety, and therefore provides a means of subjecting microscopic descriptions of nuclei to detailed tests.