Nucleon-Nucleon Triplet-Even Potentials

We have found a number of triplet-even potentials that fit the deuteron data, and yield scattering lengths falling within the rather large range of uncertainty of this quantity. The potentials behave at a large distance such as the one-pion exchange potential as required by meson theory. Potentials which fit the deuteron data and obey this asymptotic requirement can make a fairly unique prediction for the deuteron $D$-state probability if the triplet scattering length is accurately known. The phase shifts for our potentials have been calculated at 95, 210, and 310 Mev, and they fall within the range presently allowed by phase-shift analysis of the $n-p$ data. The deuteron electromagnetic form factor was computed for some of the potentials, and the scalar nucleon form factor ${F_1}^n+{F_1}^p$ and neutron form factor ${F_1}^n$ deduced from elastic electron-deuteron scattering data in the momentum transfer range $q<~3$ ${\mathrm{f}}^{-1\mathrm{}}$. This deduction depends, to a high degree of accuracy, only on the well-established one-pion exchange potential tail of the potential, and not on the inner region. We find that ${F_1}^n$ is zero, or very small and negative.