Nucleon momentum distributions from inclusive electron scattering with superscaling analysis

Abstract

Nucleon momentum distributions are crucial windows to probe nuclear structures. They provide valuable information not only on mean-field structures but also on short-range correlations. The $y$ scaling analysis generally serves as a tool to extract the nucleon momentum distribution from inclusive quasielastic electron cross sections. In this paper, we report new nucleon momentum distributions for deuteron, ${}^{3,4}\mathrm{He}$, $^{9}\mathrm{Be}$, and $^{12}\mathrm{C}$, extracted, based on ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ scaling, directly from the latest high-precision experimental data. It is found that, for deuteron, ${}^{3,4}\mathrm{He}$, $^{9}\mathrm{Be}$, and $^{12}\mathrm{C}$, the ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$-scaling method provides reasonable results in agreement with state-of-the-art ab initio calculations up to 3.5 ${\mathrm{fm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. These new nucleon momentum distributions can be helpful references for future studies of nuclear structures.