Covariant spectator theory of np scattering: Deuteron magnetic moment

The deuteron magnetic moment is calculated using two model wave functions obtained from 2007 high-precision fits to np scattering data. Included in the calculation are a new class of isoscalar np interaction currents, which are automatically generated by the nuclear force model used in these fits. After normalizing the wave functions, nearly identical predictions are obtained: model WJC-1, with larger relativistic P-state components, gives 0.863(2), while model WJC-2 with very small P-state components gives 0.864(2). These are about 1% larger than the measured value of the moment, 0.857 n.m., giving a new CST prediction for the size of the rho pi gamma exchange, and other purely transverse interaction currents that are largely unconstrained by the nuclear dynamics. The physical significance of these results is discussed, and general formulas for the deuteron form factors, expressed in terms of deuteron wave functions and a new class of interaction current wave functions, are given.