Hole in the Deuteron

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new observable, $A_{node}$, to identify the node in the deuteron’s wave function, providing a novel way to probe the nuclear repulsive core and relativistic effects in high-energy electro-disintegration.

Contribution

The paper proposes a novel observable, $A_{node}$, enabling direct investigation of the deuteron’s wave function node and the nuclear repulsive core in high $Q^2$ processes.

Findings

$A_{node}$ effectively isolates the wave function node.

High $Q^2$ processes reveal the nuclear repulsive core dynamics.

The method offers new insights into relativistic and non-nucleonic effects.

Abstract

We introduce a new observable, $A_{node}$, that allows to isolate the node in the S-partial wave distribution of the deuteron in high $Q^2$ electro-disintegration processes with tensor polarized target. The node is a signature of nuclear repulsive core and represents a crucial test of its strength, size as well as the role of the relativistic and non-nucleonic effects in a deeply bound state. Within plane wave impulse approximation the node immitates a ``hole" through which incoming probe passes through without interaction. It is demonstrated that high $Q^2$ electro-disintegration processes due to their strong anisotropy of final state interaction effects, allow to gain an unprecedented access to the node, opening up a new venue in probing elusive dynamics of the nuclear repulsive core.