Recoil corrections in distorted-wave Born approximation calculations of heavy-ion transfer reactions

Various distorted-wave Born approximation (DWBA) theories which take only approximate account of recoil are assessed by comparing numerically their predictions to exact DWBA calculations of cross sections for heavy ion trnasfer. Of these the most successful for single nucleon transfer appears to be that of Baltz which treats recoil exactly through second order in the mass of the transferred particle. Also rather accurate are the first order theories of Baltz and Kahana and of Reisdorf. The theory of Buttle and Goldfarb which incorporates their approximate correction for recoil is useful near and below the Coulomb barrier, especially when there is good "$Q$ matching." Theories which completely neglect recoil are distinctly less reliable. None of the approximate theories here considered appear adequate for an example of $\alpha$ particle transfer.