Electron dynamics in neutron scattering with hydrogen atoms

Abstract Gas targets have been used to measure the scattering length in neutron–proton (n–p) scattering experiments. Changes in electron dynamics within the gas target have a negligible effect on the dynamics of nucleons. However, electron dynamics are sensitively related to the specific form of the n–p interaction during the scattering process. We propose a theoretical approach to explore electron dynamics and determine the parameters of the n–p interaction. This approach is based on a three-body scattering process involving a neutron, a proton and an electron. Numerical results indicate significant differences in electron dynamics with varying values of n–p interaction parameters, providing additional information beyond scattering cross-sections to accurately determine these parameters.