Reconstructed 3He charge structure: Insights from Patterson function analysis

This work applies Patterson function analysis, combined with a scaling procedure, to reconstruct the charge distribution of helium-3 (³He). The resulting profile is entirely non-negative, marked by a sharp central peak of 374.4 fm⁻³ and a compact half-maximum radius of 0.187 fm. These values are significantly smaller than those reported for ³He, emphasizing the unusually concentrated nature of the reconstructed distribution. Despite its compactness, the ³He density exhibits a relatively diffuse character with the lowest peak among the light nuclei studied. The reconstruction yields a net charge of 12.9, far above the expected physical value of 2, underscoring the limitations of the empirical approach and the need for methodological refinement. Even so, the analysis demonstrates that Patterson-based reconstructions can serve as a valuable, model-independent complement to conventional studies of nuclear charge structure.