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Investigation of color transparency by high transverse momentum pp elastic scattering inside nuclei

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6029818
Following a suggestion of Mueller and Brodsky, we have measured (p, 2p) quasielastic scattering in nuclei at 90(degree) CM at momentum transfers of Q/sup 2/ = 4.8, 8.5 and 10.4 (GeV/c)/sup 2/. In a perturbative QCD model of large transverse momentum exclusive reactions, the hadrons which scatter are anomalously ''small,'' and hence have a reduced absorption in nuclear matter over distances comparable to nuclear radii. At sufficiently high momentum, the absorption should vanish completely and lead to complete ''color transparency.'' The absorption of the initial and final state protons as they pass through nuclear matter is determined from the ratio of the differential cross section for elastic scattering from protons in nuclei to that from free protons. The kinematic constraints of the experiment allow a clear extraction of the (p,2p) quasielastic signal, and a good measurement of the target proton momentum spectrum as probed by large momentum transfers. In contrast to a conventional Glauber picture of constant transparency, a striking energy dependence is observed in this experiment. 11 refs., 4 figs.
Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-76CH00016
OSTI ID:
6029818
Report Number(s):
BNL-42856; CONF-8903143-3; ON: DE89015109
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English