We develop an approach for incorporating both medium and off-shell effects in the calculation of full-folding nucleon-nucleus optical potentials for elastic scattering. The approach is based on a flexible scheme for calculating the nucleon-nucleon effective interaction in the nuclear medium. Using this scheme, we calculate a fully off-shell, energy-dependent effective force which includes effects arising from Pauli blocking and the nuclear mean field via an interacting nuclear matter model. Calculations of the elastic scattering observables for p${+}^{40}$Ca and for p${+}^{208}$Pb at energies between 30 and 400 MeV are presented and discussed. We also study total cross sections for neutron scattering off ${}_{}{}^{40}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Ca}$, ${}_{}{}^{90}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Zr}$, and ${}_{}{}^{208}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Pb}$ in the 5–400 MeV energy range. The theory gives a reasonable overall description of the data in the energy range under study.

• Received 21 February 1995

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.52.301