Intermediate energy proton scattering and nuclear transition densities in nickel isotopes

Using the high-resolution spectrometer SPES-I, the angular distribution of 1.047 GeV protons scattered from ⁵⁸Ni, ⁶⁰Ni, ⁶²Ni, ⁶⁴Ni have been measured in the angular range 4–18°, up to 4.8 MeV excitation energy. The data are analyzed within the framework of Glauber multiple scattering theory using a spin-dependent NN scattering amplitude. The parameters of the neutron density distributions have been determined by a χ² analysis of elastic scattering. The inelastic data corresponding to the first 2⁺ and 3⁻ states are analyzed with the collective model and an attempt has been made to extract information about the corresponding neutron transition densities.