A covariant description of the deuteron

An introduction to the use of Bethe-Salpeter and quasipotential equations in the description of electron scattering from the deuteron is provided. The basic formalism and many technical issues are introduced in the context of a simple scalar theory. Results for bound-state wave functions and scattering phase shifts for a variety of quasipotential prescriptions are presented and qualitative characteristics of these solutions are discussed. The elastic form factors for the bound state in this model are calculated using the spectator or Gross equation. The calculations are then extended to account for the complexities associated with nucleon spin and results are presented for the elastic structure functions of the deuteron using the spectator equation. This calculation is shown to produce a good description of elastic scattering from the deuteron over the range of momentum transfers for which data are available. (author) 14 figs., 32 refs