Proton Scattering by Copper at 10 MeV

An optical model analysis is given of the experimental data of Hintz at 9.75 MeV and of Greenless et al. at 9.30 and 9.47 MeV on the scattering of protons by natural copper. A sufficiently general form factor for the imaginary part W of the optical potential is used such that W can have a maximum value lying in any desired region of the nucleus. It is found that the absorption must be peaked at the surface of the nucleus in order to fit not only the polarization and differential elastic cross section, but at the same time to give the correct magnitude of the total reaction cross section. The available experimental data do not at present allow the determination of how much absorption occurs at the centre of the nucleus or whether the maximum of W should lie slightly beyond the half-way radius of the real part of the optical potential.