Reexamination of neutron-deuteron scattering with the Epelbaum-Krebs-Meißner chiral nuclear force and the wave-packet continuum discretization method

We revisit the neutron-deuteron scattering using the wave-packet continuum discretization (WPCD) method with the Epelbaum-Krebs-Meißner (EKM) chiral nuclear force at various chiral orders. We rederive the permutation operator and solve the Faddeev-AGS equations directly, without rewriting the initial Faddeev kernel tG₀ or introducing pseudostates, thereby rendering the approach easily extendable to a relativistic framework. This is the first application of the EKM interaction within the WPCD approach. We find that, up to the next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N³LO), the differential cross sections are well described, while the long-standing A_y puzzle remains unresolved, consistent with previous studies. The overall agreement provides a useful benchmark for the present framework and supports its application to future, more comprehensive calculations.