Theory of Inelastic Proton-Deuteron Scattering

Calculations are made of the small-angle inelastic proton-deuteron cross section near threshold. The theory assumes impulse approximation to relate the interaction of the incident proton with the target nucleons to the free nucleon-nucleon scattering amplitude. Effective-range theory is used to describe the final-state interaction of the target nucleons in the S state. The cross section at small angles is dominated by events which leave the target nucleons in the singlet S state. The cross section depends on three nucleon-nucleon parameters: the coefficients of the singlet S and triplet S terms in the cross section, Σₛ and Σₜ and the sum of the proton-neutron and proton-proton differential cross sections, σₙₚ+σₚₚ. These parameters are determined at the laboratory angles of 5^∘{}, 10^∘{}, 15^∘{}, and 20^∘{} by making a least-squares fit to the experimental measurements of Stairs, Wilson, and Cooper in the preceding paper. This fit mainly determines Σₛ. This parameter is particularly sensitive to the isotopic spin zero nucleon-nucleon amplitudes and thus these values of Σₛ may be of use in future phase-shift analyses.