Relativistic Calculation of Nucleon-Nucleon Phase Parameters

An approximate Bethe-Salpeter equation is used to calculate the $N-N$ phase parameters. The one-boson-exchange (OBE) hypothesis is invoked to approximate the left-hand singularity. A good fit to the existing data is obtained, and certain phase parameters (${}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}D_2^{}{}_{}{}^{}$, ${}_{}{}^1{}_{}{}^{}D_2^{}{}_{}{}^{}$, and ${}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}P_2^{}{}_{}{}^{}$), which are not fitted well by existing OBE-potential (OBEP) models, are much improved. The observables are not fitted directly, but rather an approximate procedure suggested by MacGregor et al. is used to minimize the experimental ${\chi }^2$. Comparisons are made with the nonrelativistic OBEP used in conjunction with the Schrödinger equation.