Structure and Formation of the Deeply Bound p atoms

Abstract We study theoretically the structure and formation of the deeply bound p atoms. We find that the widths of the atomic states are narrower than the level spacing even for deeply bound states so that the well-isolated deeply bound p atoms are expected to exist. We also find the p-nuclear states with huge widths. For the observation of the deep p-atomic states, we investigate theoretically the (p, p) reactions for 12C, 16O, and 31P target nuclei. We find that the momentum transfer of the (p, p) reaction is small and the formation of the p-atomic states can be observed as the discrete peak structures in the (p, p) spectrum. We conclude that the (p, p) reactions are very much suited for the p atom formation and the spectra of the reaction are expected to provide new valuable information on the p atoms and p-nucleus interaction.