Exclusion Principle and the Neutron-Alpha Equivalent Potential

Abstract

Because of the exclusion principle, the phase/binding energy-equivalent $n-\alpha$ potential in the $S$ state should have a repulsive core or Pauli barrier $V(\mathcal{r}\to 0)\to \frac{\left(\frac{{\hslash }^2}{2\mu }\right)6\mathrm{}}{{\mathcal{r}}^2}$. A distorted inverse-square barrier wave approximation is used to deduce from experimental phases an entirely repulsive, $l=0\mathrm{}$ $n-\alpha$ potential.