Modeling direct and pre-equilibrium processes of neutron-induced reactions with noniterative finite amplitude method and distorted-wave Born approximation

Abstract: We develop a calculation method for describing the direct and pre-equilibrium processes in neutron-induced reactions based on the framework of noniterative finite amplitude method (FAM) and distorted-wave Born approximation (DWBA). The noniterative FAM is used to derive equations of quasiparticle random-phase approximation (QRPA) for neutron-induced inelastic scatterings to both the discrete and continuum states in a consistent manner. The Skyrme force is employed as an interaction between the projectile neutron with nucleons inside the target nucleus. We apply this method to the neutron-induced reaction on 208Pb. We demonstrate that the calculated differential inelastic scattering cross sections to low-lying states reproduce available experimental data without any phenomenological parameters that are often introduced in conventional DWBA calculations. The calculated double differential cross section to the continuum state also agrees with the experimental data in the energy region relevant to the direct and pre-equilibrium processes. These results are used to investigate the spin distribution of the populated states in the residual nucleus.