The effect of meson and isobar degrees of freedom in A( e, e ′ p) and A(e, e ′ n) is studied for fourmomentum transfers Q 2 in the range between 0.2 and 0.8 (GeV/c) 2 . The calculations are performed in a non-relativistic framework with explicit (N, ∆, π) degrees-of-freedom. For the whole range of momentum transfers under investigation the relative effect of the meson-exchange and isobar degrees of freedom is significant. At low missing momenta and quasi-elastic conditions, a tendency to reduce the (e, e ′ p) and (e, e ′ n) differential cross sections is noticed. The greatest sensitivity is found in the interference structure functions WLT and WT T . The recoil polarization observables, on the other hand, are moderately affected by the meson-exchange and ∆-isobar currents.
I. INTRODUCTIONSystematic investigations of A(e, e ′ p) reactions at Saclay, NIKHEF, Mainz and Bates have produced an impressive amount of data for various target nuclei [1]. For the sake of minimizing the uncertainties with respect to the reaction mechanism, a large fraction of these investigations were done under or close to quasi-elastic kinematics (Bjorken. These data sets highlight at the same time the success and the limits of the independent-particlemodel (IPM) for atomic nuclei [2]. Indeed, after corrections for final-state interactions and Coulomb distortions of the electron probe, the shape of the deduced proton momentum distributions are systematically in line with the predictions of modern formulations of the nuclear IPM. On the other hand, below the Fermi momentum the absolute magnitude of the deduced momentum distributions are systematically, i.e. independent of the nucleon momentum, lower than IPM predictions. To cut a long story short, the major conclusion from this world-wide (e, e ′ p) effort seems that an appropriate non-relativistic picture of the nucleus is roughly compatible with 70% mean-field behaviour and 30% "correlations" an observation which is still frequently ignored in various nuclear structure calculations and model developments. The energy of the available electron beams with a large duty factor (ǫ ≤ 1 GeV) made that most of this aforementioned (e, e ′ p) work was done at four-momentum transfers of the order Q 2 = −q µ q µ ≤ 0.2 (GeV/c) 2 . With the advent of the TJNAF and an upgraded Mainz electron facility higher values of Q 2 come into reach of experimental exploration.Amongst the major physics' goals motivating exclusive (e, e ′ p) measurements from finite nuclei at higher momentum transfer (Q 2 ≥ 0.2 (GeV/c) 2 ) one can mention the following ones. The higher Q 2 conditions and unmistakingly smaller distance scales probed should make it feasible to achieve a better understanding of the short-range mechanisms in nuclei. At the same time, one could hope to find experimental evidence for the onset of quark and gluon degrees of freedom. Presumably, the most convincing evidence pointing into that direction could come from measurements for processes that are fairly well understood at lower Q 2 (like (e, e ′ p) at...