Deuteron electromagnetic structure at large momentum transfer

Abstract

Pursuing the idea that exchange currents should dominate the very large momentum transfer behavior of the deuteron electromagnetic form factors, we evaluate the $\pi \rho$ and $\sigma \omega$ exchange contributions. Taking the meson-nucleon coupling constants from one-boson exchange calculations of the $\mathrm{NN}$ force and the photon-meson coupling strengths from a relativistic quark model, we find that the form factors begin to "flatten out" at momentum transfers $q^2\gtrsim 50$ ${\mathrm{fm}}^{-2\mathrm{}}$ and are an order of magnitude greater than the usual impulse prediction at $q^2\approx 100$ ${\mathrm{fm}}^{-2\mathrm{}}$.