Electron Scattering from the Deuteron and the Neutron-Proton Potential

Abstract

Electron scattering by the deuteron has been studied experimentally at 400 and 500 Mev. The results of the scattering are compared with the scattering expected by three different static deuteron models. All three models satisfy the usual deuteron requirements such as binding energy, effective range, quadrupole moment, and percent $D$ state. Two of the models have Yukawa neutron-proton potentials; the third has a repulsive-core potential. The experimental results agree with the repulsive-core model and disagree with the Yukawa models. This result applies only to the triplet-$S$ neutron-proton potential.