Alpha-nucleus elastic scattering at intermediate energies

Elastic scattering of 288,340,480 and 699 MeV Alpha-particles was measured on 208Pb, 116Sn and 58Ni. The data were analysed in terms of a phenomenological optical model. The optical potentials obtained were found to vary consistently with the target nucleus and the incident energy. The radial zone where the potentials are well determined was studied in detail. The data for 208Pb were also analysed with a folding model. The energy dependence of the strong-absorption radius and of the reaction cross section shows that the nuclear surface becomes slightly transparent for incident energies above 150 MeV per nucleon.