Proton-tetraneutron elastic scattering

Abstract

We analyze the elastic scattering of protons on a 4n system. This was used as part of the detection technique of a recent experiment [1] to search for the 4n (tetraneutron) as a bound particle. We show that it is unlikely that this process alone could yield the events reported in ref. [1], unless the 4n has an anomalously large backward elastic scattering amplitude.

Comments: 6 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C