Elastic neutron-deuteron scattering with local potentials

Neutron-deuteron scattering is studied within the Faddeev formalism using local two-body S-wave potentials. The equations are solved by applying Padé technique to the multiple scattering series. The rate of convergence is found to be rapid enough for practical purposes. With this method the differential and total cross sections are calculated up to 50 MeV neutron laboratory energy and the results are compared with those of the separable potential model. In particular large differences are found in the forward direction of the differential cross-sections. Up to 22 MeV there is good agreement with experimental data. The differential cross-sections for local potentials up to about 14 MeV depend very little on the existence of a soft core in the two-body spin-triplet potential, but its effect becomes more important at higher energies.