New Jefferson Lab data are presented on the nuclear dependence of the inclusive cross section from (2)H, (3)He, (4)He, (9)Be and (12)C for 0.3 < x < 0.9, Q(2) approximately 3-6 GeV(2). These data represent the first measurement of the EMC effect for (3)He at large x and a significant improvement for (4)He. The data do not support previous A-dependent or density-dependent fits to the EMC effect and suggest that the nuclear dependence of the quark distributions may depend on the local nuclear environment.

We present new measurements of electron scattering from high-momentum nucleons in nuclei. These data allow an improved determination of the strength of two-nucleon correlations for several nuclei, including light nuclei where clustering effects can, for the first time, be examined. The data also include the kinematic region where three-nucleon correlations are expected to dominate.

Background: The density of the nucleus has been important in explaining the nuclear dependence of the quark distributions, also known as the EMC effect, as well as the presence of high-momentum nucleons arising from short-range correlations (SRCs). Recent measurements of both of these effects on light nuclei have shown a clear deviation from simple densitydependent models.Purpose: A better understanding of the nuclear quark distributions and short-range correlations requires a careful examination of the experimental data on these effects to constrain models that attempt to describe these phenomena.Methods: We present a detailed analysis of the nuclear dependence of the EMC effect and the contribution of SRCs in nuclei, comparing to predictions and simple scaling models based on different pictures of the underlying physics. We also make a direct, quantitative comparison of the two effects to further examine the connection between these two observables related to nuclear structure. Results:We find that, with the inclusion of the new data on light nuclei, neither of these observables can be well explained by common assumptions for the nuclear dependence. The anomalous behavior of both effects in light nuclei is consistent with the idea that the EMC effect is driven by either the presence of high-density configurations in nuclei or the large virtuality of the high-momentum nucleons associated with these configurations. Conclusions:The unexpected nuclear dependence in the measurements of the EMC effect and SRC contributions appear to suggest that the local environment of the struck nucleon is the most relevant quantity for explaining these results. The common behavior suggests a connection between the two seemingly disparate phenomena, but the data do not yet allow for a clear preference between models which aim to explain this connection.

We studied simultaneously the 4 He(e, e p), 4 He(e, e pp), and 4 He(e, e pn) reactions at Q 2 = 2 (GeV/c) 2 and xB > 1, for an (e, e p) missing-momentum range of 400 to 830 MeV/c. The knocked-out proton was detected in coincidence with a proton or neutron recoiling almost back to back to the missing momentum, leaving the residual A = 2 system at low excitation energy. These data were used to identify two-nucleon short-range correlated pairs and to deduce their isospin structure as a function of missing momentum, in a region where the nucleon-nucleon (N N ) force is expected to change from predominantly tensor to repulsive. The abundance of neutron-proton pairs is reduced as the nucleon momentum increases beyond ∼500 MeV/c. The extracted fraction of proton-proton pairs is small and almost independent of the missing momentum. Our data are compared with calculations of two-nucleon momentum distributions in 4 He and discussed in the context of probing the elusive repulsive N N force.

The 1 H(e, e ′ π + )n cross section was measured for a range of four-momentum transfer up to Q 2 =3.91 GeV 2 at values of the invariant mass, W , above the resonance region. The Q 2 -dependence of the longitudinal component is consistent with the Q 2 -scaling prediction for hard exclusive processes. This suggests that perturbative QCD concepts are applicable at rather low values of Q 2 . Pion form factor results, while consistent with the Q 2 -scaling prediction, are inconsistent in magnitude with perturbative QCD calculations. The extraction of Generalized Parton Distributions from hard exclusive processes assumes the dominance of the longitudinal term. However, transverse contributions to the cross section are still significant at Q 2 =3.91 GeV 2 .

The fundamental theory of the strong interaction-quantum chromodynamics (QCD)—provides the foundational framework with which to describe and understand the key properties of atomic nuclei. A deep understanding of the explicit role of quarks and gluons in nuclei remains elusive however, as these effects have thus far been well-disguised by confinement effects in QCD which are encapsulated by a successful description in terms of effective hadronic degrees of freedom. The observation of the EMC effect has provided an enduring indication for explicit QCD effects in nuclei, and points to the medium modification of the bound protons and neutrons in the nuclear medium. Understanding the EMC effect is a major challenge for modern nuclear physics, and several key questions remain, such as understanding its flavor, spin, and momentum dependence. This manuscript provides a contemporary snapshot of our understanding of the role of QCD in nuclei and outlines possible pathways in experiment and theory that will help deepen our understanding of nuclei in the context of QCD.

KeywordsShort-range nucleon correlations, high energy electron nucleus scattering, deep inelastic nuclear scattering, super-fast quarks AbstractNuclear dynamics at short distances is one of the most fascinating to ics of strong interaction physics. The physics of it is closely relate to the understanding the role of the QCD in generating nuclear forc at short distances as well as understanding the dynamics of the supe dense cold nuclear matter relevant to the interior of neutron stars. Wi an emergence of high energy electron and proton beams there is a si nificant recent progress in high energy nuclear scattering experimen aimed at studies of short-range structure of nuclei. This in turn stim ulated new theoretical studies resulting in the observation of sever new phenomena specific to the short range structure of nuclei. In th work we review recent theoretical and experimental progress in studi of short-range correlations in nuclei and their importance for advan ing our understanding of the dynamics of nuclear interactions at sma distances.

We have measured the nuclear transparency of the A(e,e'pi+) process in 2H, 12C, 27Al, 63Cu, and 197Au targets. These measurements were performed at the Jefferson Laboratory over a four momentum transfer squared range Q2=1.1 to 4.7 (GeV/c)2. The nuclear transparency was extracted as the super-ratio of (sigmaA/sigmaH) from data to a model of pion-electroproduction from nuclei without pi-N final-state interactions. The Q2 and atomic number dependence of the nuclear transparency both show deviations from traditional nuclear physics expectations and are consistent with calculations that include the quantum chromodynamical phenomenon of color transparency.