Relations between optical potentials and nonelastic reactions for high energy nuclear scattering

Several optical potentials appropriate to high energy projectile nucleus scattering are examined in this thesis, regarding their relation to the reactive dynamics invloved. The question of reactive content is considered, that is, what reactive processes and cross sections are implied by the dynamic theory giving rise to a particular optical potential. To answer this question, we consider dynamic models for which we are able to construct their optical potentials and all exclusive cross sections to each possible final channel of the model. We examine the consequences of approximations to the optical potential of that particular theory and the modifications to the dynamic theory necessary to maintain unitary consistency. Our methods permit us to examine the question of the reactive content of the first order potential, constructed from a dynamic theory describing a projectile scattering on a target of uncorrelated nucleons via two body potential. We observe that the reactive content of the first order potential is given by the set of all exclusive cross section for n nuclear excitation. Our construction also allows us to include true pion absorption into such an uncorrelated model and we find that the reactive content of the first order potential appropriate for this model includes both inelastic cross sections and absorptive cross sections. Comparisons are made to the reactive content of the first order potential in the Glauber theory and numerical examples of our methods are given in a simple semi-classical model