Generalized folding model for elastic and inelastic nucleus–nucleus scattering using realistic density dependent nucleon–nucleon interaction

Abstract A generalized double-folding model for elastic and inelastic nucleus–nucleus scattering is presented. It is designed to accommodate effective nucleon–nucleon (NN) interactions that depend upon the density of nuclear matter in which the two nucleons are immersed. A recently parametrized density dependent M3Y interaction, based on the G-matrix elements of the Paris NN potential, has been used in the present folding calculation. The effects of knock-on exchange of the interacting nucleon pair are included in an accurate local approximation. Examples of the application of this model to study the refractive elastic and inelastic scattering data of 12 C+ 12 C and α + 58,60 Ni systems are presented. A detailed comparison of the use of deformed optical potential (DP) and microscopic folded potential in the analysis of inelastic scattering has shown that the use of DP fails to reproduce the inelastic 12 C+ 12 C scattering data measured over a wide angular range, which covers both the diffractive and refractive regions. The use of the DP model also significantly underestimates the nuclear deformation lengths of the quadrupole and octupole excitations under study.