Measurements Of Deuteron Threshold Electrodisintegration - A Probe Of Short-Range Meson Exchange

The threshold electrodisintegration of the deuteron was measured with good energy resolution to a maximum four-momentum transfer squared of 42 fm-2. The data are compared with meson exchange calculations that show sensitivity to the choice of exchange-current form factor, the nucleon electromagnetic form factors, and the nucleon-nucleon potential. While conventional theories can give a reasonable description of the data, comparison of the data with quark cluster calculations shows poor agreement.