Transfer reaction spectroscopy revisited

Two conflicting views on the nuclear wave-function overlaps and spectroscopic factors involved in the DWBA model for transfer reactions are reviewed. It is shown that the two approaches result in appreciably different spectroscopic factors and cross sections. By comparing their derivations, it is argued that only the conventional approach saying that the overlaps can not be interpreted as single-particle wave functions, is well founded. A theoretically sound yet practicable treatment of these overlaps is proposed. (author)