Elastic alpha-nucleus scattering at high energies

Abstract

Based on a microscopic description of the elastic scattering of relativistic heavy ions within the Glauber multiple scattering framework, we have analyzed the Saclay data on the elastic scattering of alpha-particles by p, ⁴He, ¹²C, and ^40,42,44,48Ca in the energy range between T_α^lab = 1.37 and 2.55 GeV. This article is primarily devoted to the study of the reaction mechanism in a parameter-free analysis, and, therefore, all available experimental information on elastic nucleon-nucleon scattering and nuclear one-body form factors has been introduced as an input. Even when two-body correlatons and the spin dependence of the nucleon-nucleon amplitude are neglected, the theoretical differential cross sections fit very nicely the experimental data at low momentum transfers with the exception of ⁴He + ¹²C scattering. The failure of the simple theory in this case may be due to (anomalous) correlation effects in the target nucleus ¹²C.