Wavy energy potential patterns from scattering nuclei reveal hidden information (Vol. 48, No. 4)

New approach to analysing anomalies in collisions between atomic nuclei promises a new perspective on how they interact

Anomalies always catch the eye. They stand out from an otherwise well-understood order. Anomalies also occur at sub-atomic scale, as nuclei collide and scatter off into each other—an approach used to explore the properties of atomic nuclei. The most basic kind of scattering is called ‘elastic scattering,’ in which interacting particles emerge in the same state after they collide. Although we have the most precise experimental data about this type of scattering, the author contends in a paper published recently that a new approach to analysing such data harbours potential new interpretations of fundamental information about atomic nuclei.

R.S. Mackintosh, Elastic scattering phenomenology, Eur. Phys. J. A 53, 66 (2017)
[Abstract]