Recently published measurements of the two-nucleon short range correlation ($NN$-SRC) scaling factors, $a_2(A/d)$, strengthen the previously observed correlation between the magnitude of the EMC effect measured in electron deep inelastic scattering at $0.35⩽x_B⩽0.7$ and the SRC scaling factor measured at $x_B⩾1$. The new results improve precision and include previously unmeasured nuclei. The measurements of $a_2(A/d)$ for ${}^9$Be and ${}^{197}$Au agree with published predictions based on the EMC-SRC correlation. This Brief Report examines the effects of the new data and of different corrections to the data on the slope and quality of the EMC-SRC correlation, the size of the extracted deuteron in-medium correction effect, and the free-neutron structure function. The results show that the linear EMC-SRC correlation is robust and that the slope of the correlation is insensitive to most combinations of corrections examined in this work. This strengthens the interpretation that both $NN$-SRC and the EMC effect are related to high-momentum nucleons in the nucleus.

• Received 15 February 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.85.047301