The dependence of the nuclear charge form factor on short-range correlations and surface fluctuation effects

Abstract

We investigate the effects of fluctuations of the nuclear surface on the harmonic oscillator elastic charge form factor of light nuclei, while simultaneously approximating the short-range correlations through a Jastrow correlation ~factor. Inclusion of surface-fluctuation effects within this description, by truncating the cluster expansion at the two-body part, is found to improve somewhat the fit to the elastic charge form-factor of $^{16}O$ and $^{40}Ca$. However, the convergence of the cluster expansion is expected to deteriorate. An additional finding is that the surface-fluctuation correlations produce a drastic change in the asymptotic behavior of the point-proton form factor, which now falls off quite slowly (i.e. as $const. \cdot q^{-4}$) at large values of the momentum transfer $q$.