Search for evidence of two-photon exchange in new experimental high momentum transfer data on electron deuteron elastic scattering

Abstract

The possible contribution of two-photon exchange to electron deuteron elastic scattering at relatively high momentum transfer is discussed. This study was motivated by the high precision data recently obtained at the Jefferson Laboratory. Using general arguments, based on crossing symmetry for the processes e Ϫ ϩh→e Ϫ ϩh and e ϩ ϩe Ϫ →hϩh , we find a parametrization for the angular dependence of the interference between the one-and two-photon exchanges in the differential cross section for elastic ed scattering in terms of a new kinematical variable and compare our findings to the recent data.

The Deuteron: Structure and Form Factors

“…In this particular case, definite corrections to the deuteron charge radius could be made. Finally, the high Q 2 experimental data on the structure function A [90,98,99] were recently compared, but no conclusive evidence for a two-photon exchange contribution could be reached [217]. New dedicated experiments and calculations would certainly clarify this important question.…”

Two-Photon Physics in Hadronic Processes

“…Larger nuclei have a factor Z advantage in the relative size of the 2γ and 1γ effects, although breakup effects vitiate this advantage for elastic scattering except at low energy. One can examine some of the work seeking evidence of 2γ effects in larger nuclei in [53,54,55,56,57].…”

Calculation of two-photon exchange effects for Δ production in electron–proton collisions

“…[19]. Nonlinearities induced by two-photon exchanges were searched for in the data for electron-deuteron [20] and electron-proton [21] scattering.…”