Inelastic Shadow Effects in Nuclear Total Cross Sections

Abstract

We calculate the screening correction in proton-nuclear scattering at energies high enough so that inelastic excitations of the beam proton can contribute coherently. Data from proton-proton missing-mass experiments are used. These inelastic contributions to shadowing further reduce the total cross sections from the sum of single nucleon total cross sections. The effect grows from a very small increase in screening at, say 5 GeV/c, to a significant increase at, say, 15 GeV/c.