Meson exchange effects in deuteron electrodisintegration at the quasi-elastic peak

Abstract

The corrections of meson exchange currents to the dominant impulse approximation cross-section (deuteron purely inS-wave and noninteracting outgoing nucleons) are evaluated forqμ2 up to 16 fm−2 for backward deuteron electrodisintegration, at the quasi-elastic peak. Positive contributions which range from 2% at low momentum transfer up to 0.2% atqμ2 = 16 fm−2 are obtained. These percentage contributions are of the same order of magnitude, but of opposite sign, with respect to those due to the effects of final-state interaction and of theD-component of the deuteron state. The predominant contribution derives from the pair excitation current. It is not modified by using the axial nucleon form factor instead of the e.m. isovector form factor. The isobar excitation, treated by the method of the effective current operator, gives small negative effects.