Abstract
A discrepancy between experiment and the optical model calculations of Bjorklund and Fernbach exists in the scattering of 7-Mev neutrons by tantalum. The possibility is investigated that this discrepancy is due to the quadrupole deformation in tantalum. The deformation is represented by a term proportional to P2(cosγ) added to the spin-dependent potential of Bjorklund and Fernbach (γ is the angle between the assumed nuclear symmetry axis and the radius vector to the scattered particle). The added term is treated as a perturbation and the calculation is carried to second order. The Schrödinger equation is solved numerically on an IBM-704 computer to obtain the differential cross section for the elastic scattering of neutrons and the results are applied to the scattering of 7-Mev neutrons by tantalum. Parameters are determined which bring the theoretical results into adequate agreement with experiment.