Bloom-Gilman duality of inelastic structure functions in nucleon and nuclei

The Bloom-Gilman local duality of the inelastic structure function of the proton, the deuteron, and light complex nuclei is investigated using available experimental data in the squared four-momentum transfer range from 0.3 to 5 (GeV/c){sup 2}. The results of our analysis suggest that the onset of the Bloom-Gilman local duality is anticipated in complex nuclei with respect to the case of the proton and the deuteron. A possible interpretation of this result in terms of a rescaling effect is discussed with particular emphasis on the possibility of reproducing the damping of the nucleon-resonance transitions observed in recent electroproduction data off nuclei. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}