Evidence for a Strong Three-Body Force in the Triton

Existing data for the charge form factors of ${}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{He}$, ${}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{H}$ and some assumptions are employed to construct a model of the triton wave function. Given this wave function, the Schrödinger equation may be trivially solved for the effective local potential. The discrepancy between this potential and those predicted by typical pair-interaction models in the domain where all three particles are close together appears to provide evidence for a strong attractive three-body force.