Quasi-free electron-proton scattering (I)

Abstract

It is shown that, from angular and energy correlation measurements on electron-proton pairs emerging from the scattering of high energy (300–1000 MeV) electrons on nuclei, detailed information on the energy levels and structures of the upper and lower shells of light and medium nuclei could be obtained. A calculation in which the distortion of the outgoing proton wave is taken into account has been performed for C 12. As compared to the result for zero distortion, the absolute magnitude of the correlation cross section is reduced, but the shape of its angular distribution is practically unchanged. Consequently the observed energy and angular correlations would immediately give both the binding energy and the momentum distribution of the nuclear proton in the shell model state out of which it has been ejected. From an extrapolation to other nuclei of the calculated value of the reduction factor for the cross section, it is expected that this situation prevails at least up to nuclei with A = 50. Finally some corrections are qualitatively discussed.