Neutron–Proton Scattering Length Data Extracted from the \({n+{}^{2}}\mathbf{H}{\to n+n+p}\) Reaction at \({E_{n}=5}\) MeV

Abstract

The \(nd\) breakup reaction at an energy of 5 MeV was studied on the RADEX neutron channel of the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences. As a result of comparing the experimental data with the simulation results, the energy of the virtual \({}^{1}S_{0}\) \(np\) state \(E_{np}=40\pm 2\) keV and the corresponding singlet \(np\) scattering length \(a_{np}={-}30.9\pm 0.8\) fm were extracted. It was assumed that the obtained \(a_{np}\) value, together with the data of other experiments on the study of \(nd\) and \(dd\) breakup reactions at different energies, are subject to the influence of \(3N\) forces. The work was carried out as part of a series of studies on internucleon interactions at low energies.