Longitudinal and Transverse Form Factors from $^{12}$C

Electron scattering form factors from $^{12}$C have been studied in the framework of the particle-hole shell model. Higher configurations are taken into account by allowing particle-hole excitations from the 1$s$ and 1$p$ shells core orbits up to the 1$f-2p$ shell. The inclusion of the higher configurations modifies the form factors markedly and describes the experimental data very well in all momentum transfer regions.