Exclusive and Inclusive Electron Scattering from 40Ar and 48Ti to Obtain the Spectral Function of Argon

This dissertation reviews the theory of electron scattering in the impulse approximation, and the data analysis of experiment E12-14-012 at Jefferson Lab’s Hall A. E12-14-012 scattered electrons from argon, titanium, carbon, and aluminum at five kinematic settings in an effort to obtain the spectral function of argon. Inclusive cross sections and scaling functions of the first and second kind were obtained for all targets, while exclusive cross sections were obtained for argon and titanium. Results from this experiment, which are summarized in this dissertation, have been published in Physical Review C. The scattering data collected by E12-14-012, while of interest to nuclear physicists, is of deep importance to the study of neutrino oscillations. Precise knowledge of the response of the argon nucleus to lepton scattering is crucial to the success of long- and short-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments that employ liquid argon time projection chambers as detectors.