Measuring short-range correlations and quasi-elastic cross sections in A(e,e') at x>1 and modest Q${}^2$

We present results from the Jefferson Lab E08-014 experiment, investigating short-range correlations (SRC) through measurements of inclusive quasi-elastic scattering from ${}^2$H, ${}^3$He, ${}^4$He, ${}^{12}$C, ${}^{40}$Ca, and ${}^{48}$Ca. The kinematics were selected to isolate scattering from SRCs, yielding a plateau in the A/${}^2$H 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/${}^2$H ratios and provide the first extractions of the A/${}^2$H ratio for ${}^{40}$Ca and ${}^{48}$Ca. We also examine the A/${}^3$He 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/${}^3$He cross section ratio at modest-to-large $Q^2$ values and looking for a plateau ratios for $x\text{gtorder}2.5$. This was not observed in the data, and in fact increasing $Q^2$ values moved the data $\mathit{\text{further}}\mathit{\text{away}}$ 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.