The relationship between the properties of nuclear matter and structure
functions measured in lepton-nucleus deep inelastic scattering is investigated
using light front dynamics. We find that relativistic mean field models such as
the Walecka, Zimanyi-Moszkowski (and point-coupling versions of the same) and
Rusnak-Furnstahl models contain essentially no binding effect, in accord with
an earlier calculation by Birse. These models are found to obey the
Hugenholtz-van Hove theorem, which is applicable if nucleons are the only
degrees of freedom. Any model in which the entire Fock space wave function can
be represented in terms of free nucleons must obey this theorem, which implies
that all of the plus momentum is carried by nucleons, and therefore that there
will be essentially no binding effect. The explicit presence of nuclear mesons
allows one to obtain a modified form of the Hugenholtz-van Hove theorem, which
is equivalent to the often-used momentum sum rule. These results argue in favor
of a conclusion that the depletion of the deep inelastic structure function
observed in the valence quark regime is due to some interesting effect
involving dynamics beyond the conventional nucleon-meson treatment of nuclear
physics.Comment: 24 pages, 3 Postscript figure
