Measuring short-range correlations and quasi-elastic cross sections in A(e,e’) at x > 1 and modest Q²

We present results from the Jefferson Lab E08-014 experiment, investigating short-range correlations (SRC) through measurements of inclusive quasi-elastic scattering from ²H, ³He, ⁴He, ¹²C, ⁴⁰Ca, and ⁴⁸Ca. The kinematics were selected to isolate scattering from SRCs, yielding a plateau in the A/²H cross-section ratios due to the universal two-body structure of the 2N-SRCs in light and heavy nuclei. We observe approximate plateaus in the A/²H ratios and provide the first extractions of the A/²H ratio for ⁴⁰Ca and ⁴⁸Ca. We also examine the A/³He ratio, aiming to identify three-nucleon SRCs (3N-SRCs). Following the approach for isolating 2N-SRCs, searching for 3N-SRC dominance involved measuring the A/³He cross section ratio at modest-to-large Q ² values and looking for a plateau ratios for . This was not observed in the data, and in fact increasing Q ² values moved the data further away from the predicted plateau. We show here that, when analyzed in terms of the struck nucleon’s light-cone momentum, the data exhibited the expected trend, progressively approaching the predicted 3N-SRC plateau. These observations suggest that future measurements at higher energies may facilitate a definitive isolation and identification of 3N-SRCs.