The polarizability of the deuteron

The scalar and tensor polarizabilities of the deuteron are calculated using the recently developed effective field theory that describes nucleon-nucleon interactions. Leading and next-to-leading order contributions in the perturbative expansion predict a scalar electric polarizability of alpha(E0) = 0.595 fm(3). The tensor electric polarizability receives contributions starting at next-to-leading order from the exchange of a single potential pion and is found to be alpha(E2) 0.062 fm(3). We compute the leading contributions to the scalar and tensor magnetic polarizabilities, finding beta(M0) = 0.067 fm(3) and beta(M2) = 0.195 fm(3). (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.