We investigate relativistic heavy-ion scattering in terms of a coherent droplet model, where the colliding nuclei are treated as droplets of nuclear matter with no internal structure. The interaction between nuclei is assumed to be proportional to the amount of interpenetrating matter. We take the matter distribution from electron scattering experiments, and relate the interaction parameter by the optical theorem to the total cross section. We have performed calculations at incident kinetic energies of 2.1 GeV/nucleon for ${}_{}{}^4{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{He}$, ${}_{}{}^{12}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{C}$, and ${}_{}{}^{16}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{O}$, and obtain a general diffraction pattern in the differential cross section. We also show an interesting scaling property of heavy-ion scattering, as compared to particle-nucleus or black-sphere scattering.

[NUCLEAR REACTIONS ${}_{}{}^4{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{He}$, ${}_{}{}^{12}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{C}$, ${}_{}{}^{16}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{O}$ high-energy elastic heavy-ion scattering, coherent-droplet model and optical model.]

• Received 26 September 1973

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.9.814