Spin correlation parameter Cyy of p+3He elastic backward scattering

We measured the differential cross section and the spin correlation parameter Cyy of the p+ 3 He elastic backward scattering at 200, 300, and 400 MeV at θ = 180° in the center-of-mass frame to study the mechanism of the reaction and to examine the validity of the 3 He wave functions based on two different realistic two-body forces. This is the first measurement of the spin correlation parameter Cyy of the p+ 3 He EBS at intermediate energies. The experimental results were compared with few-body calculations, including three reaction mechanisms: two-nucleon-pair exchange, pion exchange, and direct pp scattering. It was found that few-body calculations describe the differential cross-section data reasonably well. The spin correlation parameter C yy shows clear evidence for the two-nucleon-pair exchange processes in the reaction, demonstrating that the spin observables are helpful for deeper understanding of the reaction mechanism.