Radiative Neutron-Deuteron Capture and the Bound and Scattering States of the Three-Nucleon System

The capture of thermal neutrons by deuterons is found to be sensitive to three-body scattering effects in the initial neutron-deuteron state. The interaction effect is also important. But theoretical errors associated with this effect prevent any detailed conclusions with regard to the implications of the capture reaction for the 3-nucleon bound-state wave function. However, a simple phenomenological representation of the interaction effect, which is consistent with the 3-nucleon exchange magnetic moments and neutron-proton capture, is sufficient to reconcile the results of neutron-deuteron capture with present knowledge of the 3-nucleon bound state.