Spin-dependent correlations and the semi-exclusive O-16(e, e ' p) reaction

The effect of central, tensor and spin-isospin nucleon-nucleon correlations upon semi-exclusive O-16(e, e' p) reactions is studied for Q(2) and Bjorke n x values in the range 0.2 less than or similar to Q(2) less than or simil ar to 1.1 (GeV/c)(2) and 0.15 less than or similar to x less than or simila r to 2. The fully unfactorized calculations are performed in a framework th at accounts not only for the dynamical coupling of virtual photons to corre lated nucleon pairs but also for meson-exchange and Delta(33)-isobar curren ts. Tensor correlations are observed to produce substantially larger amount s of semi-exclusive O-16(e, e' p) strength than central correlations do and are predominantly manifest in the proton-neutron knockout channel. With th e exception of the x approximate to 2 case, in all kinematical situations s tudied the meson-exchange and isobar currents are a strong source of A(e, e ' p) strength at deep missing energies. This feature gives the A(e, e' p) s trength at deep missing energies a pronounced transverse character. (C) 200 0 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.