https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/s10050-023-01112-6
Regular Article - Experimental Physics
Searching for three-nucleon short-range correlations
1
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 37996, Knoxville, TN, USA
2
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 94720, Berkeley, CA, USA
Received:
28
April
2023
Accepted:
24
July
2023
Published online:
11
September
2023
Electron scattering measurements from high-momentum nucleons in nuclei at SLAC and Jefferson Lab (JLab) have shown that these nucleons are generally associated with two-nucleon short-range correlations (2N-SRCs). These SRCs are formed when two nucleons in the nucleus interact at short distance via the strong tensor attraction or repulsive core of the NN potential. A series of measurements at JLab have mapped out the A dependence and isospin dependence of 2N-SRCs, and have begun to map out their momentum structure. However, we do not yet know if 3N-SRCs, similar high-momentum configurations of three nucleons, play an important role in nuclei. We summarize here previous attempts to isolate 3N-SRCs, go over the limitations of these previous attempts, and discuss the present and near-term prospects for searching for 3N-SRCs, mapping out their A dependence in nuclei, and constraining their isospin and momentum structure.
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