  The strongly isospin-dependent tensor force leads to short-range correlations
(SRC) between neutron-proton (deuteron-like) pairs much stronger than those
between proton-proton and neutron-neutron pairs. As a result of the short-range
correlations, the single-nucleon momentum distribution develops a high-momentum
tail above the Fermi surface. Because of the strongly isospin-dependent
short-range correlations, in neutron-rich matter a higher fraction of protons
will be depleted from its Fermi sea and populate above the Fermi surface
compared to neutrons. This isospin-dependent nucleon momentum distribution may
have effects on: (1) nucleon spectroscopic factors of rare isotopes, (2) the
equation of state especially the density dependence of nuclear symmetry energy,
(3) the coexistence of a proton-skin in momentum space and a neutron-skin in
coordinate space (i.e., protons move much faster than neutrons near the surface
of heavy nuclei). In this talk, we discuss these features and their possible
experimental manifestations. As an example, SRC effects on the nuclear symmetry
energy are discussed in detail using a modified Gogny-Hartree-Fock (GHF) energy
density functional (EDF) encapsulating the SRC-induced high momentum tail (HMT)
in the single-nucleon momentum distribution.
