diprotonZwischenschritten

DiprotonZwischenschritten is a concept in nuclear reaction theory describing a reaction pathway in which two protons temporarily form a correlated pair, the diproton, during the transition from initial to final states. In this view, the diproton acts as an intermediate, short-lived configuration that can influence cross sections and decay patterns, without implying a permanent bound state of two protons. The idea is used to parameterize two-proton correlations and to simplify complex three-body dynamics in reactions involving light, proton-rich systems.

The diproton is typically treated as a resonance or virtual state in the 1S0 channel, with a lifetime governed by strong and electromagnetic interactions. Because the Coulomb repulsion between protons is strong, the intermediate diproton is not bound; its existence is inferred from reaction kinematics and from observed correlations between the emitted protons.

In theoretical models, diprotonZwischenschritten appear in three-body calculations and in R-matrix or continuum-discretized coupled-channel approaches as an intermediate configuration. They can modify angular distributions and energy spectra of final-state protons, and they provide a useful language for describing two-proton emission processes, two-proton transfer, and certain proton capture pathways in astrophysical environments.

Experimentally, evidence for diproton-like correlations is indirect, often inferred from correlation functions in breakup reactions or from decay schemes of exotic nuclei. The term remains somewhat controversial and is not universally adopted; it serves as a descriptive tool rather than a universally defined state.

See also: diproton, dineutron, two-proton emission, proton capture, nuclear reaction mechanisms.