Extraction of weak transition strengths via the (He-3, t) reaction at 420 MeV

Differential cross sections for transitions of known weak strength were measured with the (He-3, t) reaction at 420 MeV on targets of C-12, C-13, O-18, Mg-26, Ni-58, Ni-60, Zr-90, Sn-118, Sn-120, and Pb-208. Using these data, it is shown that the proportionalities between strengths and cross sections for this probe follow simple trends as a function of mass number. These trends can be used to confidently determine Gamow-Teller strength distributions in nuclei for which the proportionality cannot be calibrated via beta-decay strengths. Although theoretical calculations in the distorted-wave Born approximation overestimate the data, they allow one to understand the main experimental features and to predict deviations from the simple trends observed in some of the transitions.