Optical-model analysis of elastic scattering of 53.4 MeV helions from Fe

Elastic helion scattering from ⁵⁶Fe at 53.4 MeV was measured over the angular range 12° to 150°. Using the regular optical model, real-potential ambiguities, the shape of the imaginary term and the need for a spin-orbit term were explored. Coupled-channels (SCA) calculations based on the ground state and principal 2⁺ and 3⁻ states indicate that such coupling effects are not as dominant as the inclusion of a spin-orbit potential in the regular optical model. Previously reported helion scattering from ⁵⁹Co and ⁶⁰Ni at 50.1 MeV has been included in an average parameter analysis to generalise the improvements in the helion optical-model parameterization in this energy region.