New analysis of the common nuclear dependence of the EMC effect and short-range correlations

Abstract

The strong repulsive core of the nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction at short distances prevents nucleons from becoming close to each other. This gives rise to high-momentumnucleons in the nucleus that cannot be explained in the context of the mean field and are commonly called short-range correlations (SRCs). They are responsible for the strength seen in momentum distribution tails seen in all nuclei, and we can obtain a relative measure of SRCs via cross section ratios to light nuclei. Recent inclusive scattering data from Jefferson Lab have allowed a precise determination of the A-dependence of SRCs in nuclei and suggests that, like the EMC effect, it is especially sensitive to the nuclear local density. These new results, as well as a new analysis of the relationship between SRCs and the EMC effect, will be presented and discussed.