https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/s10050-025-01762-8
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
Nonlocal triton and helion folding potentials
School of Mathematics, Physics and Space, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, GU2 7XH, Guildford, Surrey, UK
Received:
1
August
2025
Accepted:
1
December
2025
Published online:
17
December
2025
Triton and helion nonlocal optical potentials are constructed from available global systematics of nonlocal nucleon optical potentials using a single-folding procedure. With nucleon optical potentials of the Perey-Buck type, used here, and simple gaussian triton/helion wave functions, the triton and helion nonlocal folding potentials are also of the Perey-Buck type with a nonlocality range being a third of that for a nucleon. The scattering problem with such potentials is solved exactly and the cross sections obtained are compared to those obtained in its local-equivalent model at the leading and next-to-leading orders. It was found that leading-order angular distributions are almost indistinguishable from those given by the exact solution. Constructing local triton/helion folding potentials from local equivalents of nonlocal nucleon potentials gives a different result, making this procedure unsuitable. A comparison with experimental data has been carried out for triton and helion scattering from 
Ca, 
Y and 
Zr targets at laboratory energies between 20 and 130 MeV. With no renormalization of the folding potential the forward angle scattering is reproduced reasonably well and thus is deemed suitable for rearrangement reactions studies at forward angles. At larger angles the predictions overestimate the scattering data and underestimate absorption cross sections. Recommendation to further improvement of the model to address the lack of absorption in that area is given.
© The Author(s) 2025
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