Pion density in nuclei and deep-inelastic lepton scattering
Recent data indicate that quark densities in a high-A nucleus differ significantly from those measured in the free-nucleon case. We examine whether this effect can be explained in terms of deep-inelastic scattering from mesons responsible for nuclear binding. Although features of the data are reproduced qualitatively, we are unable to approach a quantitative description of the magnitude of the experimental effect at small x unless we postulate an enhanced pion density of about 0.4 extra pions per nucleon (roughly three times that provided by conventional nuclear models), and/or make assumptions about the small-x behavior of the meson structure function which are inconsistent with available data. These conclusions are insensitive to the manner in which we impose momentum conservation. The slope of the ratio of structure functions vs x is reproduced easily in the range 0.05<0.5. We speculate that a quantitative fit to the data requires an ''intrinsic'' enhancement of the nucleon structure function due to the nuclear medium as well as scattering from the mesons associated with binding.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439
- OSTI ID:
- 5199135
- Journal Information:
- Phys. Rev. D; (United States), Vol. 29:3
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
LEPTON-NUCLEON INTERACTIONS
DEEP INELASTIC SCATTERING
BINDING ENERGY
HAMILTONIANS
OPE MODEL
PARTON MODEL
PIONS
QUARK MODEL
STRUCTURE FUNCTIONS
BOSON-EXCHANGE MODELS
BOSONS
COMPOSITE MODELS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY
FUNCTIONS
HADRONS
INELASTIC SCATTERING
INTERACTIONS
LEPTON-BARYON INTERACTIONS
LEPTON-HADRON INTERACTIONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICAL OPERATORS
MESONS
OBE MODEL
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
PARTICLE MODELS
PERIPHERAL MODELS
PSEUDOSCALAR MESONS
QUANTUM OPERATORS
SCATTERING
645203* - High Energy Physics- Particle Interactions & Properties-Theoretical- Weak Interactions & Properties
653003 - Nuclear Theory- Nuclear Reactions & Scattering