Short-range correlations and transverse response enhancement from meson-exchange currents

Abstract

We investigate the role of short-range correlations (SRC) in the transverse nuclear response within the quasielastic peak region, focusing on the oneparticle one-hole (1p1h) channel. The calculation is performed in nuclear matter by solving the Bethe–Goldstone equation with the realistic Granada 2013 nucleon–nucleon potential, including both one-body and two-body meson-exchange currents (MEC) of seagull, pion-in-flight, and Δ types. We find that MEC produce a sizable enhancement of the transverse response in the 1p1h channel when acting on correlated nucleon pairs with highmomentum components generated by SRC. This is in contrast to the uncorrelated case, where MEC—dominated by the Δ current—can even yield a negative effect. The results are consistent with previous findings based on the correlated basis function approach, supporting the interpretation that SRC play a central role in the transverse response enhancement from MEC.