Nucleon-nucleon correlations and final state interaction in inclusive quasi-elastic electron scattering off nuclei at x>1

Inclusive quasi-elastic electron scattering off nuclei is investigated at high momentum transfer (Q2 approx-gt 1 (GeV/c)2) and x>1 adopting a consistent treatment of nucleon-nucleon correlations in initial and final states. It is shown that the inclusive cross section at 1.3 approx-lt x approx-lt 2 is dominated by the absorption of the virtual photon on a pair of correlated nucleons and by their elastic rescattering in the continuum, whereas at x approx-gt 2 it is governed by the rescattering of the outgoing off-mass-shell nucleon in the complex optical potential generated by the residual (A-1)-nucleon system in its ground state. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics