Superscaling analyses, lepton scattering and nucleon momentum distributions in nuclei

A scaling function f(ψ') for inclusive electron scattering from nuclei was constructed within the Coherent Density Fluctuation Model (CDFM) that is a natural extension to finite nuclei of the Relativistic Fermi Gas (RFG) model. The approach was used to calculate the total, longitudinal and transverse scaling functions built up from the hadronic tensor and the corresponding response functions in the RFG model. The results are in good agreement with the experimental data for the scaling functions, showing superscaling (independence on the transverse momentum q and the mass number A) for negative values of ψ' including those in the region ψ'<-1, whereas the RFG model result for this region is fRFG(ψ')=0. The CDFM scaling functions are used to calculate the cross sections of electron scattering in the quasielastic (QE) region for nuclei from 12<A<208 in comparison with the available experimental data, as well as to calculate charge-changing and neutral current neutrino (antineutrino) scattering on 12C in the QE and the Δ-resonance regions at energies from 1 to 2 GeV. It was shown that superscaling is due to the high-momentum tail of the momentum distributions and the form of its general power-law asymptotics similar for all nuclei which is known to be caused by the short-range and tensor nucleon-nucleon correlations.