Measurement of tensor polarization in elastic electron-deuteron scattering at large momentum transfer

Tensor polarization observables (t(20), t(21), and t(22)) have been measured in elastic electron-deuteron scattering for six values of momentum transfer between 0.66 and 1.7 (GeV/c)(2). The experiment was performed at the Jefferson Laboratory in Hall C using the electron High Momentum Spectrometer, a specially designed deuteron magnetic channel and the recoil deuteron polarimeter POLDER. The new data determine to much larger Q(2) the deuteron charge form factors G(C) and G(Q). They are in good agreement with relativistic calculations and disagree with perturbative QCD predictions.