Low-Energy Neutron-Deutron Scattering

The S-scattering phases of neutrons on deuterons at low energies have been calculated by using the variational method with account of the deuteron deformation. The nucleon interaction was assumed to be central, charge-invariant and to have a charge exchange character. The radial dependence of the potential of nuclear forces was chosen in the form of the Gaussian curve whose parameters are brought into agreement with the data on n - p interaction at low energies. In choosing the probe functions besides the deuteron deformation a possibility of forming a doublet state with a quasitriton radial dependence was taken into account. The obtained values of the quartet scattering length a₄=5.8 f and the doublet a₂=0.9 f are in good agreement with one of the two sets of the experimental values a₄=(6.38 + 0.06) f, a₂=(0.7 +0.3) f, and the s - phases coincide satisfactorily with the values obtained by Christian and Gammel from the analysis of the angular distributions of scattering and brought into agreement with the above experimental values of the scattering lengths.