Theory of Neutron Reactions with Nuclei at Low Energy

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Abstract
A theory of the interaction of low-energy neutrons with nuclei has been developed using methods previously applied to the study of the nuclear ground state. It is show that an average potential is predicted by the theory which very closely resembles that used by Feshbach, Porter, and Weisskopf in their studies of the neutron cross sections. The calculated parameters for scattering at a few Mev are a real depth of 41 Mev and an imaginary part somewhat less than 1 Mev. The theory also predicts the appearance of characteristic narrow compound-state resonances in the cross section; these are the result of sharp fluctuations in the real and imaginary part of the equivalent potential acting on a neutron which are the result of appreciable coupling between the single-particle and compound-nucleus states. An estimate of the level width is given for a simple class of compound-state levels and is of the order of typical widths observed experimentally.