Short-range correlations in neutron-rich nuclei

Short-range correlations (SRCs) in nuclei are temporary, high-density, high-momentum nucleon-nucleon pairs that are predominantly proton-neutron pairs. This has been observed from light to heavy nuclei. Previous measurements on selected nuclei suggest that, as a nucleus becomes more neutron-rich and heavy, its protons become more correlated. To separate the effects of excess neutrons, electron scattering at 6 GeV from ⁴⁰Ca and ⁴⁸Ca was measured using the CLAS12 detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Laboratory. The (e,e’p) and (e,e’pp) pair-breakup reactions are the targeted channels to study the effect of eight valence neutrons on the number of np and pp pairs between those doubly-magic nuclei. This talk will present the experiment and discuss results that potentially uncover more complexities in pair formation.