Detailed studies of the nuclear dependence of F 2 in light nuclei

We propose to perform inclusive electron scattering measurements from several light to medium heavy nuclei over a broad range of x (0.1 < x < 1) up to Q ≈ 15 GeV. These data will improve on existing JLab measurements of the EMC effect by extending precise extraction of the EMC ratios to larger x values, and by making additional measurements on light nuclei (A < 12) to provide better data for constraining calculations of nuclear effects in these well understood nuclei. Because results from Jefferson lab do not support the previous A-dependent or density-dependent fits to the EMC effect, including an expanded set of light nuclei will help investigate the role of the detailed nuclear structure and test the idea that the local nuclear environment plays an important role in the modification of quark distributions. The proposed measurements will provide precise data in the large x region where binding and Fermi motion effects are thought to dominate, providing strict constraints on the “conventional” nuclear physics that is a key component in any calculation of the EMC effect. In addition, a better understanding of the EMC effect in light nuclei will provide guidance for calculation of nuclear effects in deuterium, which is necessary to extract neutron structure function, while new measurements of the deuteron and proton structure functions at large x will provide new data for such extractions.