Excitation function of (p,pn) reactions at high energy

A theoretical formula for the total cross-section of (p,pn) reaction at high energies in light, medium and heavy nuclei has been deduced on the basis of the impulse approximation and one-step knock-out mechanism. In the derivation, both the elastic and inelastic interactions have been taken into account. A comparison between the calculated cross-sections and the experimental data is made for 12C, 19F, 65Cu, 100Mo, 127I, 142Ce and 181Ta at incident energies 0.05-2.2 GeV. The agreement between the calculated values and experimental data is found to be good. The dependence of σsub(p,pn) on target mass number has been explained in terms of the expression derived. (author). 30 refs., 8 figs