Peripheral N$\alpha$ Scattering: A Tool For Identifying The Two Pion Exchange Component Of The NN Potential

Abstract

We study elastic N$\alpha $ scattering and produce a quantitative correlation between the range of the effective potential and the energy of the system. This allows the identification of the waves and energies for which the scattering may be said to be peripheral. We then show that the corresponding phase shifts are sensitive to the tail of the NN potential, which is due to the exchange of two pions. However, the present uncertainties in the experimental phase shifts prevent the use of N$\alpha $ scattering to discriminate the existing models for the NN interaction.