Physics – Nuclear Physics – Nuclear Theory
Scientific paper
2002-10-08
J.Phys.G29:R1,2003
Physics
Nuclear Physics
Nuclear Theory
52 pages IOP style LaTex file and 20 eps figures
Scientific paper
10.1088/0954-3899/29/3/201
Quantum Chromodynamics, the microscopic theory of strong interactions, has not yet been applied to the calculation of nuclear wave functions. However, it certainly provokes a number of specific questions and suggests the existence of novel phenomena in nuclear physics which are not part of the the traditional framework of the meson-nucleon description of nuclei. Many of these phenomena are related to high nuclear densities and the role of color in nucleonic interactions. Quantum fluctuations in the spatial separation between nucleons may lead to local high density configurations of cold nuclear matter in nuclei, up to four times larger than typical nuclear densities. We argue here that experiments utilizing the higher energies available upon completion of the Jefferson Laboratory energy upgrade will be able to probe the quark-gluon structure of such high density configurations and therefore elucidate the fundamental nature of nuclear matter. We review three key experimental programs: quasi-elastic electro-disintegration of light nuclei, deep inelastic scattering from nuclei at $x>1$, and the measurement of tagged structure functions. These interrelated programs are all aimed at the exploration of the quark structure of high density nuclear configurations. The study of the QCD dynamics of elementary hard processes is another important research direction and nuclei provide a unique avenue to explore these dynamics. We argue that the use of nuclear targets and large values of momentum transfer at would allow us to determine whether the physics of the nucleon form factors is dominated by spatially small configurations of three quarks.
Arrington John
Bertozzi W.
Boeglin W.
Carlson Carl E.
Day D. B.
No associations
LandOfFree
Hadrons in the Nuclear Medium does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Hadrons in the Nuclear Medium, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Hadrons in the Nuclear Medium will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-204990