Constraints on the onset of color transparency from quasielastic $^{12}\mathrm{C}(e,{e}^{\ensuremath{'}}p)$ up to ${Q}^{2}=14.2\phantom{\rule{0.222222em}{0ex}}{(\mathrm{GeV}/c)}^{2}$

Constraints on the onset of color transparency from quasielastic ${}^{12}C (e, e^{'} p)$ up to $Q^{2} = 14.2 {(GeV / c)}^{2}$

D. Bhetuwal et al. (Hall C Collaboration)

Phys. Rev. C 108, 025203 – Published 14 August 2023

Abstract

Quasielastic scattering on ${}^{12}C (e, e^{'} p)$ was measured in Hall C at Jefferson Lab for spacelike four-momentum transfer squared $Q^{2}$ in the range of $8 – 14.2 {(GeV / c)}^{2}$ with proton momenta up to $8.3 GeV / c$ . The experiment was carried out in the upgraded Hall C at Jefferson Lab. It used the existing high-momentum spectrometer and the new super-high-momentum spectrometer to detect the scattered electrons and protons in coincidence. The nuclear transparency was extracted as the ratio of the measured yield to the yield calculated in the plane wave impulse approximation. Additionally, the transparency of the $1 s_{1 / 2}$ and $1 p_{3 / 2}$ shell protons in ${}^{12}C$ was extracted, and the asymmetry of the missing momentum distribution was examined for hints of the quantum chromodynamics prediction of color transparency. All of these results were found to be consistent with traditional nuclear physics and inconsistent with the onset of color transparency.