Impulse Approximation Calculation of High-Energy Deuteron-Deuteron Elastic Scattering

Abstract

The high-energy deuteron-deuteron elastic scattering cross section and vector polarization has been calculated on the basis of the impulse approximation with the neglect of off-energy-shell effects in the nucleon-nucleon scattering matrix and effects of multiple scattering. The results are in terms of the free nucleon-nucleon scattering amplitudes and an appropriate Fourier tranform of the deuteron wave function. For simplicity the $D$-state component of the deuteron has been neglected throughout this calculation. Numerical results are given for 312 and 620 MeV. At the two energies considered, the results for the cross section are comparable to those for nucleon-deuteron scattering. The validity of the approximations used and possible improvements of the calculation are discussed.