Contributions to the electromagnetic form factors of the deuteron from isobar configurations

A nonrelativistic calculation of the elastic electron deuteron scattering has been performed in which the effects arising from nucleon polarization have been systematically investigated. These effects have been taken into account by admixing isobar configurations into the deuteron wave function. Explicit expressions for the various contributions to the respective deuteron form factors have been given. At higher momentum transfers inclusion of the isobar configurations leads to a substantial increase in the form factors which qualitatively appears to account for at least some of the discrepancies between theory and experiment.