Clustering structure of nuclei in deep inelastic processes

Abstract

A clustering aspect is explained for the $^9$Be nucleus in charged-lepton deep inelastic scattering. Nuclear modifications of the structure function $F_2$ are studied by the ratio $R_{\rm EMC} = F_2^A /F_2^D$, where $A$ and $D$ are a nucleus and the deuteron, respectively. In a JLab experiment, an unexpectedly large nuclear modification slope $|dR_{\rm EMC}/dx|$ was found for $^9$Be, which could be related to its clustering structure. We investigated a mean conventional part of a nuclear structure function $F_2^A$ by a convolution description with nucleon momentum distributions calculated by antisymmetrized (or fermionic) molecular dynamics (AMD) and also by a simple shell model. We found that clustering effects are small in the conventional part, so that the JLab result could be associated with an internal nucleon modification or a short-range nuclear correlation which is caused by high densities due to cluster formation.