High-precision, charge-dependent Bonn nucleon-nucleon potential

We present a charge-dependent one-boson-exchange nucleon-nucleon (NN) potential that fits the world proton-proton data below 350 MeV available in the year 2000 with a χ² per datum of 1.01 for 2932 data and the corresponding neutron-proton data with χ²/datum =1.02 for 3058 data. This reproduction of the NN data is more accurate than by any phase-shift analysis and any other NN potential. This is achieved by the introduction of two effective σ mesons the parameters of which are partial-wave dependent. The charge dependence of the present potential (which we call “CD-Bonn”) is based upon the predictions by the Bonn full model for charge symmetry and charge-independence breaking in all partial waves with J<~4. The potential is represented in terms of the covariant Feynman amplitudes for one-boson exchange which are nonlocal. Therefore, the off-shell behavior of the CD-Bonn potential differs in a characteristic way from commonly used local potentials and leads to larger binding energies in nuclear few- and many-body systems, where underbinding is a persistent problem.