Modified Structure of Protons and Neutrons in Correlated Pairs

Understand

The atomic nucleus is made of protons and neutrons (nucleons), that are themselves composed of quarks and gluons.

• Understanding how the quark-gluon structure of a nucleon bound in an atomic nucleus is modified by the surrounding nucleons is an outstanding challenge.
• Although evidence for such modification, known as the EMC effect, was first observed over 35 years ago, there is still no generally accepted explanation of its cause.
• Recent observations suggest that the EMC effect is related to close-proximity Short Range Correlated (SRC) nucleon pairs in nuclei.