Global coupled-channel optical potential for nucleon–actinide interaction from 1 keV to 200 MeV

A coupled-channel method was used for the estimation of nucleon optical potential parameters for the actinide region based on the axial rigid-rotor model built on a saturated coupling scheme. A new global form of optical potential was proposed to incorporate energy dependences guided by physical principles. Best-fit potential parameters were searched for to reproduce experimental nucleon scattering angular distributions, low-energy observables (strength functions and scattering radii) and neutron total cross sections of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th. It was found that the present form of the optical potential could reproduce both the neutron- and proton-data for a wide energy range, namely from 1 keV to 200 MeV. Available experimental data for other actinides were also described to a good accuracy with the same set of parameters only by adjusting the deformation parameters for each nucleus.