On the application of complex trajectories to direct heavy-ion reactions

The semiclassical theory for heavy-ion collisions in a complex, optical potential is studied on the basis of the complex Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin approximation. A critical survey of earlier work on elastic seattering is followed by application of the theory to inclastic scattering and to transfer reactions. The results which agree well with quantal calculations throw light on the origin of the oscillations in cross sections observed for such reactions and on the possibility of inferring the shape of form factors.