On the Analysis of Nucleon-Nucleon Scattering Experiments

A method of perturbation calculation, especially adapted to nucleon-nucleon scattering problems, is described. Any contribution to the energy of the system which is relatively small where the nuclear potential is large may be treated as the perturbation. Two principal examples are discussed. (1) Energy as the perturbation: An expansion of the phase shifts in powers of the energy is written down which extends earlier results of Schwinger, Blatt, and Jackson. (2) The Coulomb field as the perturbation in the proton-proton problem: Expansions are given which relate the nuclear phase shifts in a combined nuclear and Coulomb field to the corresponding phase shifts for a purely nuclear problem. Attention is confined to central forces throughout.