Short-Range Correlations and Transverse Response Enhancement from Meson-Exchange Currents

Abstract: We investigate the role of short-range correlations (SRC) in the transverse nuclear response within the quasielastic peak region, focusing on the 1p1h channel. The calculation is performed in nuclear matter by solving the Bethe-Goldstone equation with the realistic Granada 2013 nucleon-nucleon potential, including both one-body and two-body meson-exchange currents (MEC) of seagull, pion-in-flight, and $\Delta$ types. We find that MEC produce a sizable enhancement of the transverse response in the 1p1h channel when acting on correlated nucleon pairs with high-momentum components generated by SRC. This contrasts with the uncorrelated case, where MEC, dominated by the $\Delta$ current, can even yield a negative effect. The results are consistent with previous findings based on the correlated basis function approach, supporting the interpretation that SRC play a central role in the transverse response enhancement from MEC.