Deuteron form factor measurements at low momentum transfers

A precise measurement of the elastic electron-deuteron scattering cross section at four-momentum transfers of 0.24 fm(-1) <= Q <= 2.7 fm(-1) has been performed at the Mainz Microtron. In this paper we describe the utilized experimental setup and the necessary analysis procedure to precisely determine the deuteron charge form factor from these data. Finally, the deuteron charge radius r(d) can be extracted from an extrapolation of that form factor to Q(2) = 0.