Improved Sum Rule for Electron-Deuteron Scattering

Abstract

A qualitative discussion of the approximations implicit in the present theoretical treatment of the deuteron is presented. An improved sum rule which relates the total elastic and inelastic scattering of electrons from the deuteron to the free electron-nucleon cross sections is derived. It has the property of reducing to the correct relativistic result upon neglect of binding. It is proved that the use of folded nucleon and nuclear form factors is correct. It is shown that the finite nucleon size does not affect any real photon process.