Relativistic impulse approximation description of polarized proton elastic scattering from polarized 13C.

Abstract

The elastic scattering of intermediate energy polarized protons from polarized /sup 13/C is studied within the framework of the relativistic distorted wave Born approximation using the relativistic impulse approximation to describe the projectile--target nucleon interaction. Sensitivities of observables to (1) the upper and lower components of the valence nucleon wave function, (2) the Lorentz form of the two-body interaction, (3) isoscalar three-vector currents, and (4) the individual strengths of the separate Lorentz terms in the two-body interaction are calculated and discussed. The bound state wave functions for the 1p/sub 1/2 valence neutron used in the calculations are taken from relativistic mean field theory and from traditional, nonrelativistic Woods-Saxon eigenstate solutions. Predictions obtained using either pseudoscalar or pseudovector projectile-nucleon coupling forms are compared. Possible effects on the p-arrow-right+/sup 13/C-arrow-right polarized target spin observables due to contributions of the core nucleons to the effective isoscalar three-vector current are discussed and investigated using a simple model. What can be learned from normal (i.e., perpendicular to scattering plane) and transverse (i.e., approximately perpendicular to beam, in the scattering plane) polarized target spin observables, as well as unpolarized p-arrow-right+/sup 13/C elastic scattering observables are discussed. The results suggest that new nuclear structure information, additional effectivemore » interaction phenomenology, and further constraints on the Lorentz character of the effective two-body interaction can in principle be obtained from analyses of p-arrow-right+/sup 13/C-arrow-right elastic scattering data. Experiments to obtain such data are encouraged« less