Systematic study of elastic proton-nucleus scattering using relativistic impulse approximation based on covariant density functional theory

In this work, we apply relativistic impulse approximation (RIA) with a modern density functional PC-PK1 to systematically analyze the available experimental data at 40 < E-p = 200 MeV. The theoretical calculations successfully reproduce the numerous experimental data of the elastic-scattering cross sections and analyzing power for both even and odd nuclei in a wide range of mass number (12 = A = 232) and incident energies (40 < E (p) = 200 MeV). Moreover, a strong correlation between the root mean-square (rms) radius of the neutron distribution and the inverse of momentum transfer corresponding to the minimum of the cross section is demonstrated again. We have further confirmed the validity of RIA and the universality of the density functional PC-PK1. This work also provides a good basis to incorporate the ab-initio relativistic chiral force and the medium effect using G-matrix to the present RIA framework.