The momentum distribution of the neutron in 2H and 3He as determined by quasi-elastic scattering

The momentum distribution of the neutron in ²H was determined in the range 0 to 365 MeV/c and in ³He in the range 0–295 MeV/c, by quasi-elastic scattering of 667 MeV/c protons. The measurements were analyzed by the plane wave impulse approximation and a correction was made for multiple scattering in the target nucleons. The results for ²H fit the Hulthén-Yamaguchi wave function quite well but show deviations similar to those found by other workers. For ³He there are no previously published measurements for comparison, but the results fit several expressions for the wave function, proposed for reasons of plausibility and analytical tractability, with parameters close to those obtained by electron scattering. The momentum distribution in ³He has a small but significant dip around 100 MeV/c which is not found in any of the theoretical expressions.