  The break-up of the deuteron during deeply-virtual Compton scattering, gamma*
d --> gamma(*) n p, is explored. In the effective field theory describing
nucleon dynamics at momenta below the pion mass, the EMC effect results from
four-nucleon interactions with the twist-2 operators, appropriate for
describing forward, and near-forward, matrix elements in the two-nucleon
system. We point out that the break-up of the deuteron to low-energy final
states during deeply-virtual Compton scattering is a process with which to
explore strong-interaction physics closely related to that responsible for the
EMC effect. The single-nucleon contribution to the break-up depends on the
moments of the spin-dependent structure functions and contributions from local
four-nucleon operators. Experimental deviations from the single-nucleon
prediction would provide a probe of strong interactions complimentary to the
EMC effect.
