SHAPE DEPENDENCE OF THE DEUTERON RADIUS

The expansion of the square of the ratio of the deuteron radius to the triplet neutron-proton scattering length is generalized to include th e D-state component of the deuteron wave function. Although more than 98% of this ratio is independent of the potential model, the remainder is discussed in terms of the dependence on the deuteron D state and t he nonlocality of the potential. The convergence for different expansi on parameters, all of which can be directly obtained from experimental data, is investigated and an optimal choice is proposed.