A realistic study of the nuclear transparency and the distorted momentum distributions in the semi-inclusive process 4He(e,e'p)X

Abstract

The nuclear transparency and the distorted momentum distributions of 4He in the semi-inclusive process 4He(e,e'p)X are calculated within the Glauber multiple scattering approach using for the first time realistic four-body variational wave functions embodying central and non-central nucleon-nucleon (N-N) correlations. The contributions from N-N correlations and from Glauber multiple scattering are taken into account exactly to all orders. It is shown that non-central correlations significantly affect both the transparency and the distorted momentum distributions; as a matter of fact: i) the small (approx 3%) value of the effect of correlations on the transparency results from an appreciable cancellation between the short-range central repulsive correlations and the intermediate-range attractive correlations, whose magnitude is significantly affected by the non-central forces, and ii) the effect of Glauber final state interactions on the momentum distribution is reduced by the inclusion of tensor correlations.