Spectral Functions and Nuclear Response

Abstract

I discuss the relation between the nuclear response and the Green function describing the propagation of a nucleon in the nuclear medium. Within this formalism, the widely used expressions in terms of spectral functions can be derived in a consistent and rigorous fashion. The results of recent applications to the study of the inclusive electron-nucleus cross section in the impulse approximation regime are brielfy analyzed.

Comments: Invited talk at NUINT07 (Fermilab, May 30-June 3, 2007). To appear in the Proceedings