Measuring short-range correlations and quasi-elastic cross sections in A(e,e') at x > 1 and modest Q2Article
Zhang, YP, Ye, ZH, Nguyen, D et al. (2026). Measuring short-range correlations and quasi-elastic cross sections in A(e,e') at x > 1 and modest Q2
. Physics Letters B, 872 10.1016/j.physletb.2025.140087
Zhang, YP, Ye, ZH, Nguyen, D et al. (2026). Measuring short-range correlations and quasi-elastic cross sections in A(e,e') at x > 1 and modest Q2
. Physics Letters B, 872 10.1016/j.physletb.2025.140087
We present results from the Jefferson Lab E08-014 experiment, investigating short-range correlations (SRC) through measurements of inclusive quasi-elastic scattering from 2H, 3He, 4He, 12C, 40Ca, and 48Ca. The kinematics were selected to isolate scattering from SRCs, yielding a plateau in the A/2H cross-section ratios due to the universal two-body structure of the 2N-SRCs in light and heavy nuclei. We observe approximate plateaus in the A/2H ratios and provide the first extractions of the A/2H ratio for 40Ca and 48Ca. We also examine the A/3He ratio, aiming to identify three-nucleon SRCs (3N-SRCs). Following the approach for isolating 2N-SRCs, searching for 3N-SRC dominance involved measuring the A/3He cross section ratio at modest-to-large Q 2 values and looking for a plateau ratios for . This was not observed in the data, and in fact increasing Q 2 values moved the data further away from the predicted plateau. We show here that, when analyzed in terms of the struck nucleon’s light-cone momentum, the data exhibited the expected trend, progressively approaching the predicted 3N-SRC plateau. These observations suggest that future measurements at higher energies may facilitate a definitive isolation and identification of 3N-SRCs.
