Single-nucleon removal cross sections on nucleon and nuclear targets

TL;DR

This paper applies an eikonal direct-reaction model to neutron removal from neon isotopes at high energy, comparing cross sections on proton and carbon targets to understand reaction sensitivities and nuclear structure effects.

Contribution

It extends the eikonal reaction model to proton targets and analyzes the sensitivity of removal cross sections to nuclear structure and orbital properties.

Findings

Carbon target more efficient for weakly-bound, low-ℓ orbitals

Cross sections sensitive to orbital angular momentum and binding energy

Model predictions align with experimental data for neutron removal

Abstract

The eikonal direct-reaction model, as used in spectroscopic studies of intermediate-energy nucleon-removal reactions on light target nuclei, is considered in the case of a proton target and applied to neutron removal from $^{29}$Ne at 240 MeV/nucleon. The computed cross sections and their sensitivities are compared using an earlier detailed analysis of carbon target data. The nuclear structure input, for the $^{29}$Ne ground-state and $^{28}$Ne final states, is that deduced from the carbon target analysis. The comparisons quantify the sensitivity of the two reactions to the angular momenta and binding energies of the active valence orbitals - showing the carbon target to be relatively more efficient for removals from weakly-bound, low-$\ell$, halo-like orbitals. Probing this sensitivity experimentally would provide useful tests of these predictions and of the model's description of the reaction mechanism.