  The contact formalism, devised to elucidate the important role of short-range
correlations, was recently generalized for systems with coupled channels, such
as the deuteron channel, where s and d waves are coupled into a $J=1$ state.
The coupling of the two channels implies two independent asymptotic solutions
and results a 2x2 contact matrix. For a strong coupling, with appropriate
boundary conditions, such as in nuclear physics, the two solutions degenerate
into a single asymptotic wave function. Here, we explore the asymptotic
behavior of the correlated neutron-proton pairs in the deuteron channel using
both schematic models and realistic nuclear forces.
