Polarization of recoil deuterons in ed elastic scattering at medium energies

Abstract

Vector and tensor polarizations of the recoil deuteron in ed elastic scattering are calculated for θ = 0°–180° and q 2 ⩽ 8 GeV/ c. A longitudinally polarized electron beam is assumed to scatter off an unpolarized deuteron target. Calculations are made in the relativistic impulse approximation using a recently described approach based on the Bethe-Salpeter equation with the time-ordered perturbation theory. The results are different, at high q 2 even qualitatively so, from those of a non-relativistic calculation, and a relativistic calculation which takes the spectator nucleon on-mass-shell. In the light of these results, a recent suggestion that polarization measurements would throw new light on the off-shell behavior and tensor force strength of the NN interaction is reexamined. Results are also presented for the three deuteron form factors G C , G Q and G M,and the often-needed related quantities S S, S Q and S M. The latter results may have an important implication in high-momentum transfer reactions involving deuterons.