A tagged medium-energy neutron beam has been used in a precise measurement of the absolute differential cross section for np back-scattering. The results resolve significant discrepancies within the np database concerning the angular dependence in this regime. The experiment has determined the absolute normalization with 1.5% uncertainty, suitable to verify constraints of supposedly comparable precision that arise from the rest of the database in partial wave analyses. The analysis procedures, especially those associated with evaluation of systematic errors in the experiment, are described in detail so that systematic uncertainties may be included in a reasonable way in subsequent partial wave analysis fits incorporating the present results.
Final differential cross sections averaged over data samples.
The reported data are given for the mean angles measured rather than for the central angles. The data are normalized to the most recent Evaluated Nuclear Data File evaluated angle-integrated elastic-scattering cross section and refitted with a Legendre polynomial expansion.
Measured values of the N-P elastic scattering angular distributions. Data are normalized to the Breit-Hopkins total elastic cross section after radiative capture correction.
High-statistics measurements of the absolute differential cross section for n−p scattering have been made over neutron c.m.-system scattering angles 9.5°<θ*<64.5°. The statistical error is 1.7 to 3.3% for 2°-wide angular bins, and the systematic error is 2.7 to 3.3%. The cross section is fitted by dσdΩ*=A exp(bt), with A=10.27±0.36 mb/sr, b=5.00±0.05, and 0.01<−t<0.39 (GeV/c)2. For the ratio of the real to the imaginary part of the forward-scattering amplitude we obtained αn>~−0.43±0.04, consistent with other less precise determinations of αn.
EXPONENTIAL FIT TO D(SIG)/DOMEGA OVER -T = 0.01 TO 0.39 GEV**2 (THETA = 9.5 TO 64.5 DEG).
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