Extracting the Mass Dependence and Quantum Numbers of Short-Range Correlated Pairs from A(e,e'p) and A(e,e'pp) Scattering

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the number of short-range correlated nucleon pairs varies with nuclear mass, revealing that SRCs mainly involve pairs in specific quantum states, through analysis of electron scattering data across various nuclei.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of the mass dependence of SRC pairs and their quantum numbers using electron scattering experiments on multiple nuclei.

Findings

The mass dependence of SRC pairs is softer than the total possible pairs.

SRCs predominantly involve nucleon pairs in a nodeless relative-S state.

The results support a model where SRCs affect specific quantum states in nuclei.

Abstract

The nuclear mass dependence of the number of short-range correlated (SRC) proton-proton (pp) and proton-neutron (pn) pairs in nuclei is a sensitive probe of the dynamics of short-range pairs in the ground state of atomic nuclei. This work presents an analysis of electroinduced single-proton and two-proton knockout measurements off 12C, 27Al, 56Fe, and 208Pb in kinematics dominated by scattering off SRC pairs. The nuclear mass dependence of the observed A(e,e'pp)/12C(e,e'pp) cross-section ratios and the extracted number of pp- and pn-SRC pairs are much softer than the mass dependence of the total number of possible pairs. This is in agreement with a physical picture of SRC affecting predominantly nucleon-nucleon pairs in a nodeless relative-S state of the mean-field basis.