Information on Short-Range Nucleon-Nucleon Correlations and Woods-Saxon Nuclear Potential from High-Energy Elastic Electron Scattering

Abstract

A method has been developed which allows the effect of the short-range dynamical correlations on the nuclear-charge form factors generated in arbitrary potential wells to be taken into account. Recent highenergy experimental data on elastic electron scattering by $^{6}\mathrm{Li}$, $^{12}\mathrm{C}$, and $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ have been analyzed with this method. The single-particle radial wave functions have been generated in a state-dependent Woods-Saxon well whose parameters have been chosen to fit the eigenenergies to the proton separation energies, as obtained from ($p, 2p$) reactions. It is shown that only by the inclusion of correlations is it possible to reproduce theoretically the experimental charge form factor of $^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ and $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ nuclei. It is also pointed out that the inclusion of correlations leads to the use of potential wells which are deeper and narrower than usually assumed. The radial wave functions of the harmonic oscillator have also been used. It is shown that these wave functions also give a good reproduction of the experimental data, provided that correlations are taken into account. The effect of the center-of-mass motion on the form factors calculated in the finite well is also considered.