Three-body models of the ${}_{}{}^6{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Li}$ nucleus are used to derive the coincidence cross sections for the reaction ${}_{}{}^6{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Li}$(p,2p)nα. It is shown that in the plane-wave impulse approximation, the fourfold differential cross section factorizes in such a way that the ${}_{}{}^6{}_{}{}^{}$Li→p+(nα) joint momentum distribution may be extracted from experimental measurements. The calculated results are compared to data from various ${}_{}{}^6{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Li}$(p,2p)nα experiments with incident energies ranging from 100 to 460 MeV. Differences between predictions of various three-body models and of various representations of the underlying two-body interactions are examined. It is concluded that meaningful comparisons are possible only if the beam energy is high enough to ensure proton pole dominance and the detector energy resolution good enough to distinguish crucial spectral features.

• Received 31 August 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.37.458