Neutron-proton correlations from the break-up of deuterons near the Coulomb barrier

The authors point out that the first order DWBA theory only fails at the very fringe of the final three-body phase space, whereas it generally proves to be an efficient method to describe the elastic deuteron break-up in the field of heavy nuclei. To solve the remaining problems, simple extensions of the existing DWBA-code will not be sufficient. Higher order effects have to be taken into account. Also DWBA calculations in prior-formulation, assuming a sequential break-up mode (Coulomb dissociation), do not overcome the divergences at low proton energies. Definite clarification can be expected from an exact three-body treatment in frame of Fadeev equations