Magnetic Form Factor of the Neutron

Abstract

Electron scattering from the bound neutron and proton in the deuteron has been studied at various scattering angles between 75\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 135\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} for 500-Mev and 600-Mev electrons. A comparison of these scattering cross sections with those of the free proton permits a determination of the density distribution of the magnetic cloud around the neutron. By using theories developed by Jankus and Blankenbecler, the root-mean-square radius of the neutron is shown to lie between the limits 0.80\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}13}$ cm and 0.90\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}13}$ cm. The choice between these radii depends on whether the deuteron total cross sections or differential (peak) cross sections are compared with the protonic scattering cross section. Since presently available theory has not yet developed sufficiently to decide definitely between these possibilities, the root-mean-square size may be taken to be (0.85\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.10)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}13}$ cm with small error. The neutron's magnetic cloud clearly does not have the small size obtained by measurement of its charge cloud from experiments on the neutron-electron interaction, and this anomaly challenges the present concepts of nucleon size.