Nucleon electromagnetic form factor data (including recent data) is fitted with models that respect the confinement and asymptotic freedom properties of QCD. Gari-Krümpelmann (GK) type models, which include the major vector meson pole contributions and at high momentum transfer conform to the predictions of perturbative QCD, are combined with Höhler-Pietarinen (HP) models, which also include the width of the $\rho$ meson and the addition of higher mass vector meson exchanges, but do not evolve into the explicit form of PQCD at high momentum transfer. Different parametrizations of the GK model’s hadronic form factors, the effect of including the width of the $\rho$ meson, and the addition of the next (in mass) isospin 1 vector meson are considered. The quality of fit and the consistency of the parameters select three of the combined HP/GK type models. Projections are made to the higher momentum transfers which are relevant to electron-deuteron experiments. The projections vary little for the preferred models, removing much of the ambiguity in electron-nucleus scattering predictions.

• Received 12 April 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.64.035204