Article,
Evidence That the Deuteron Is Not an Elementary Particle
Physical Review Online Archive (Prola), 137 (3B): B672--B678 (February 1965)
DOI: 10.1103/physrev.137.b672
Abstract
If the deuteron were an elementary particle then the triplet n - p effective range would be approximately - ZR / ( I - Z ); where R =4.31 F is the usual deuteron radius and Z is the probability of finding the deuteron in a bare elementary-particle state. This formula is model-independent; but has an error of the order of the range m π -1 =1.41 F of the n - p force; so it becomes exact only in the limit of small deuteron binding energy; i.e.; R ≫ m π -1 . The experimental value of the effective range is not of order R and negative; but rather of order m π -1 and positive; so Z is small or zero and the deuteron is mostly or wholly composite.
