BREMSSTRAHLUNG IN ALPHA-ALPHA SCATTERING AND STRUCTURE OF THE ALPHA-PARTICLE POTENTIAL

Hard bremsstrahlung in the reaction alpha alpha --> alpha alpha gamma at laboratory alpha-particle energies in the range 40-100 MeV is used to test potentials with and without a repulsive core that make it poss ible to closely reproduce elastic-scattering phase shifts. The reactio n amplitude is calculated in the coordinate representation. It is show n that the yield of bremsstrahlung photons is sensitive to the small-d istance behavior of the wave function of relative motion. As soon as r elevant experimental data become available, this circumstance will mak e it possible to choose the most realistic era potential appropriate f or describing inelastic processes as well.