Microscopic calculation of cross sections for the reactions 12C(p, 2p) and 16O(p, 2p)

Abstract

Cross sections for the reactions 12C(p, 2p) and 16O(p, 2p) have been calculated in the framework of a model which takes explicit account of nucleon-nucleon correlations and of the decay of the residual nucleus by particle emission. The calculations are performed in the planewave impulse approximation and are based on the relation between the (p, 2p) cross section and the energy-momentum spectral function of the target nucleus. The spectral function is determined in terms of the mass operator which is computed up to second order in a shellmodel space including both bound and continuous single-particle states. The two-body interaction is assumed to be a spin-dependent zero-range force. Ground state correlations in the target nucleus are neglected. The calculated (unaveraged) separation-energy spectra exhibit isolated resonances with widths up to several hundred keV. The strength of the 1s and 1p hole states is distributed over a wide range of energies. The results indicate the importance of including ground-state correlations for the discrete part of the hole spectrum. The approximations used in the calculation and possible improvements are discussed.