Elastic electron-deuteron scattering in chiral effective field theory

We calculate elastic electron-deuteron scattering in a chiral effective fie ld theory approach for few-nucleon systems based on a modified Weinberg pow er counting. We construct the current operators and the deuteron wave funct ion at next-to-leading (NLO) and next-to-next-to-leading (NNLO) order simul taneously within a projection formalism. The leading order comprises the im pulse approximation of photons coupling to point-like nucleons with an anom alous magnetic moment. At NLO, we include renormalizations of the single nu cleon operators. To this order, no unknown parameters enter. At NNLO, one f our-nucleon-photon operator appears. Its strength can be determined from th e deuteron magnetic moment. We obtain not only a satisfactory description o f the deuteron structure functions and form factors measured in electron-de uteron scattering but also find a good convergence for these observables. ( C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.