The one-gluon exchange current and the electromagnetic properties of the deuteron

We investigate the role of the one-gluon exchange current in the electromagnetic form factors and threshold electrodisintegration of the deuteron in the framework of the quark cluster model. We find that the one-gluon exchange current has a considerable influence on the cross section for threshold deuteron electrodisintegration but has only a small effect on the magnetic form factor of the deuteron. We show that for a reliable estimation of gluon-quark exchange effects the consistency of the gluon current and the short range part of the wave function as demanded by gauge invariance is essential