Pade approximant technique for processing scattering data. I

The parametrization of experimental data (i.e. data known with errors) by the type-III Pade approximant (PA-III) technique is treated. Iterative linearized procedures for finding the PA parameters are proposed and their convergence verified. The methods proposed are shown to exhibit very rapid convergence compared with alternative methods. The methods are demonstrated to be effective when applied to describing the angular dependence of differential cross sections and analyzing powers of the elastic scattering of two nuclei and to parametrizing the low-energy electron-Krypton elastic scattering if explicit allowance is made for the long-range polarization force. A subsequent paper in this series will be devoted to the energy-dependent phase shift analysis of low-energy 2H-4He scattering. (author). 2 figs., 4 tabs., 23 refs