Understanding Nucleons in the Nuclear Medium

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent experimental findings on nucleon behavior within the nuclear medium, focusing on short-range correlations and asymmetry measurements to enhance understanding of nucleon modifications in nuclei.

Contribution

It integrates recent experimental results from Jefferson Lab to provide a comprehensive understanding of nucleons in the nuclear medium, highlighting the role of tensor correlations and asymmetry measurements.

Findings

Tensor correlations dominate at high missing momentum.

Asymmetry measurements show sign changes linked to nucleon modifications.

Experimental data suggest nucleons behave differently inside nuclei than free nucleons.

Abstract

Recent cross section (e,e'pN) short-range correlation experiments have clearly shown the strong dominance of tensor correlations for (e,e'p) missing momenta greater than the Fermi momentum; while recent D(e,e'p)n and 4He(e,e'p)t asymmetry experiments at low missing momentum have shown small changes from the free nucleon form factor. By doing asymmetry experiments as a function of missing momentum, these results can be linked together and observed as a change of sign in the measured asymmetry. This idea will be presented within the context of the recently completed Jefferson Lab Hall A quasi-elastic, polarized 3He(e,e'N) experiments (N=0,p,n,d) where the asymmetries of several reaction channels were measured with three, orthogonal target-spin directions. Together, these various experiments will help us to better understand nucleons in the nuclear medium.