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Title: Elastic electron-deuteron scattering with relativistic quasipotential models

Miscellaneous ·
OSTI ID:7042043

In this dissertation elastic electron-deuteron scattering is studied by generating impulse approximation currents and meson-exchange-currents from a relativistic quasipotential nucleon-meson model. Quasipotential constraint calculations are convenient because they reduce integration over relative momenta from four to three dimensions. However, such constraints when used for initial and final scattering states are often inconsistent. A general formalism is developed for elastic scattering with any consistently constrained two-body propagator. The consistent constraint used herein is zero relative energy in the Breit frame. A modified version of the Dirac two-body propagator of Mandelzweig and Wallace is used to form a homogeneous wave equation with this constraint. This equation must be solved in the Breit frame with non-zero total momentum. A five-point current operator is developed from an analysis of the box and crossed-box Feynman diagrams. This current operator obeys an exact Ward identity. Initial calculations are performed by approximating the consistent constraint wave functions with Blankenbecler-Sugar (BbS) constraint wave functions boosted to the Breit frame. These wave functions are generated using the covariant, Dirac two-body propagator and the energy-independent Bonn potential with fitted sigma-coupling constant. Because the Breit-frame constraint is inconsistent with the BbS constraints of the initial and final deuteron wave functions, an ambiguity in the Lorentz boost of the relative momenta is present. Several treatments of this ambiguity are examined, and it is found that the deuteron form factors are very dependent on which approximation is used.

Research Organization:
Maryland Univ., College Park, MD (United States)
OSTI ID:
7042043
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English