Short Range Correlation measurements in the quasielastic region with an 11 GeV beam

Electron scattering is a significant means of studying internal high momentum
nucleon and quark distributions in nuclei. Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator
Facility (JLab) with its 11GeV beam is capable of studying high momentum nucleons
with unmatched precision. The role of short range nucleon configurations and
quark distributions is significant for understanding the dynamics of nuclei and their
underlying components. Scattering cross section measurements in the kinematic
regime x > 1, where the free nucleon is forbidden, are sensitive to high momentum
nucleons, which are believed to come from short range correlations (SRCs). SRCs are
strongly interacting, high momentum nucleons with a low center-of-mass momentum
that are highly decoupled from the nuclear environment. The focus of this research
is on precision measurements of 2N SRCs, the observation of 3N SRCs, and the
measurement of parton distribution functions at x > 1