We study the structure of the sigma meson, the lowest-lying resonance of the pi pi scattering in the scalar-isoscalar channel, through the softening phenomena associated with the partial restoration of chiral symmetry. We build dynamical chiral models to describe the pi pi scattering amplitude, in which the sigma meson is described either as the chiral partner of the pion or as the dynamically generated resonance through the pi pi attraction. It is shown that the internal structure is reflected in the softening phenomena; the softening pattern of the dynamically generated sigma meson is qualitatively different from the behavior of the chiral partner of the pion. On the other hand, in the symmetry restoration limit, the dynamically generated sigma meson behaves similarly to the chiral partner.
The pi pi scattering is studied in two-flavor chiral models with a finite pion mass to investigate the nature of the sigma meson which is observed as the lowest scalar-isoscalar resonance. We compare several models with different origins of the sigma meson, such as the chiral partner of the pion and the dynamically generated pi pi molecule. We find that the dynamically generated sigma meson exhibits a novel pattern of the threshold enhancement reflecting the s-wave nature of the resonance, which is qualitatively different from the softening of the chiral partner introduced as a bare field. Thi…
Complex poles of the unitarized pi-pi scattering amplitude in nuclear matter are studied. Partial restoration of chiral symmetry is modeled by the decrease of in-medium pion decay constant f*_{pi}. For large chiral restoration (f*_{pi}/f_{pi} << 1), 2nd sheet poles in the scalar (sigma) and the vector (rho) mesons are both dictated by the Lambert W function and show universal softening as f*_{pi} decreases. In-medium pi-pi cross section receives substantial contribution from the soft mode and exhibits a large enhancement in low-energy region. Fate of this universality for small chiral restorat…
We investigate the role of the softening of the scalar-isoscalar (sigma) meson in the $η\rightarrowπ^+π^-π^0$ and $3π^0$ decay widths in the symmetric nuclear medium using a linear sigma model. Our calculation shows that these decay widths in the nuclear medium increase by up to a factor of four to ten compared with those in the free space mainly depending on the mass of the sigma meson in the free space, which is an input parameter of the model. The enhancements are considerable even at a half of the normal nuclear density. Thus, the $η$ decay into $3π$ could be a possible new probe for the c…
We discuss the phenomenology of the axial-vector mesons within a three-flavour Linear Sigma Model containing scalar, pseudoscalar, vector and axial-vector degrees of freedom.
After showing the characteristic features of the chiral transition in QCD at finite temperature $T$, we note the significance of the sigma-mesonic mode in the chiral transition : Sigma meson may be regarded as the "Higgs particle" in QCD, though the existence of such a mode in the real world is still unclear. We show the properties of the sigma meson in hot and/or hadronic matter, from which we propose experiments to reveal the existence the sigma meson clearly; the experiments include relativistic heavy-ion collisions to create hot hadronic matter, and electro-production in heavy nuclei.
We study the production of non-strange mesons in proton-proton scattering reactions within an effective model of mesons and baryons with global chiral symmetry. The model includes the nucleon ($N$) and its chiral partner ($N^{\ast}$) and their couplings to the $N_{f}=2$ multiplets of (pseudo-)scalar and (axial-)vector mesons. Results for the production of $ω$ and $η$ mesons are presented.
We present a two-flavour linear sigma model with global chiral symmetry and vector and axial-vector mesons. We calculate pion-pion scattering lengths and the decay widths of scalar, vector, and axial-vector mesons. It is demonstrated that vector and axial-vector meson degrees of freedom play an important role in these low-energy processes and that a reasonable theoretical description requires globally chirally invariant terms other than the vector meson mass term. An important question for meson vacuum phenomenology is the quark content of the physical scalar f0(600) and a0(980) mesons. We inv…
We take into account the sigma meson cloud effect in the meson cloud model to calculate the distributions of light flavor sea quarks in the proton. Our calculation gives a better description of the data for $\bar{d}(x)/\bar{u}(x)$. We also provide a picture that the probability of finding a physical proton in a Fock state $|Nω> $ is reasonable small with a smaller cutoff $Λ_ω$.
We present our recent results for the rho and sigma mesons considered as resonances in pion-pion scattering in a thermal bath. We use chiral perturbation theory to fourth order in p for the low energy behaviour, then extend the analysis via the unitarization method of the Inverse Amplitude into the resonance region. The width of the rho broadens about twice the amount required by phase space considerations alone, its mass staying practically constant up to temperatures of order 150 MeV. The sigma meson behaves in accordance to chiral symmetry restoration expectations.
A model is developed for electromagnetic form factor of the pion. One-loop corrections are included in the linear sigma-model. The rho-meson contribution is added in an extended VMD model. The form factor, calculated without fitting parameters, is in a good agreement with experiment for space-like and time-like photon momenta. Loop corrections to the two-pion hadronic contribution a^{(had, π)}_μto the muon anomalous magnetic moment are calculated. The optimal value of the sigma-meson mass appears to be close to the rho-meson mass.
We outline the extension of the globally chirally invariant Nf = 2 linear sigma model with vector and axial-vector degrees of freedom to Nf=3. We present preliminary results concerning the scalar meson masses.
We present a comprehensive study of mass modifications of scalar, pseudo-scalar, vector, and axial-vector mesons in nuclear matter using the three-flavor extended Linear Sigma Model (eLSM) and the two-flavor Parity Doublet Model (PDM). The meson masses in nuclear matter are determined by calculating the one-loop nucleon corrections to the meson mean fields. As a result, we find all spin-$0$ meson masses except those of the pion, kaon, and the lightest scalar-isoscalar mesons decrease at finite baryon density. For spin-$1$ mesons, masses of all axial-vector mesons decrease in medium, and the de…
The spectra of the scalar ($σ$) and vector ($ω$) mesons in nuclear matter are studied in detail using the quark-meson coupling (QMC) model. It is shown that above normal nuclear matter density the effects of $σ$-$ω$ mixing and the decay of the $σ$ into $2π$ change the spectra of $σ$ and $ω$ mesons considerably. As in Quantum Hadrodynamics we find a remarkable spectral change in the $σ$ meson and the longitudinal mode of the $ω$ meson, namely a two-peak structure.
We study scalar, pseudoscalar, vector, and axial-vector mesons with non-strange and strange quantum numbers in the framework of a linear sigma model with global chiral $U(N_f)_L \times U(N_f)_R$ symmetry. We perform a global fit of meson masses, decay widths, as well as decay amplitudes. The quality of the fit is, for a hadronic model that does not consider isospin-breaking effects, surprisingly good. We also investigate the question whether the scalar $\bar{q}q$ states lie below or above 1 GeV and find the scalar states above 1 GeV to be preferred as $\bar{q}q$ states. Additionally, we also d…
The sigma-meson, which is at best a broad resonance in the vacuum, may suffer a substantial red-shift and appear as a soft and narrow collective mode at finite temperature and baryon densities. The physics behind this softening phenomena and its relation to the partial restoration of chiral symmetry are discussed. Possible experiments in laboratory to test the idea are also summarized.
We consider a globally invariant chiral Lagrangian that contains vector and axial-vector mesons. We compute the f0(600) decay width into two pions and pion-pion scattering lengths and compare with the corresponding results in which the (axial-)vector degrees of freedom decouple. We show that the role of vector mesons has a great impact on these quantities.
We evaluate the nucleon sigma term and in-medium quark condensate in the modified quark-meson coupling model which features a density-dependent bag constant. We obtain a nucleon sigma term consistent with its empirical value, which requires a significant reduction of the bag constant in the nuclear medium similar to those found in the previous works. The resulting in-medium quark condensate at low densities agrees well with the model independent linear order result. At higher densities, the magnitude of the in-medium quark condensate tends to increase, indicating no tendency toward chiral symm…
We investigate pion and sigma meson correlations in hot quark matter within a modified NJL model. Special emphasis is on the transformation of mesonic bound states to resonances (Mott dissociation) when due to the partial chiral symmetry restoration with increasing temperature the threshold of quark-antiquark continuum states drops below the meson mass at the corresponding Mott temperature. The description is based on evaluating the polarization functions for quark-antiquark (meson) correlations as a function of the temperature and the results can be represented by introducing modulus and phas…
We study the temperature evolution of the rho and sigma mass and width, using a unitary chiral approach. The one-loop pion-pion scattering amplitude in Chiral Perturbation Theory at finite temperature is unitarized via the Inverse Amplitude Method. Our results predict a clear increase with T of both the rho and sigma widths. The masses decrease slightly for high T, while the rho-pion-pion coupling increases. The rho behavior seems to be favored by experimental results. In the sigma case, it signals chiral symmetry restoration.
I study the properties of the scalar sigma-meson [also referred to as f_0(600)] at nonzero temperature in the O(N)-model in the framework of the Cornwall-Jackiw-Tomboulis formalism. In the standard Hartree (or large-N) approximation one only takes into account the double-bubble diagrams in the effective potential. I improve this approximation by additionally taking into account the sunset diagrams, which lead to 4-momentum dependent real and imaginary parts of the Dyson-Schwinger equations. By solving these and the equation for the chiral condensate selfconsistently, one obtains the decay widt…
We study the so-called extended linear sigma model for the case of four quark flavors. This model is based on global chiral symmetry and dilatation invariance and includes, besides scalar and pseudoscalar mesons, vector and axial-vector mesons. Most of the parameters of the model have been determined in previous work by fitting properties of mesons with three quark flavors. Only three new parameters, all related to the current charm quark mass, appear when introducing charmed mesons. Surprisingly, within the accuracy expected from our approach, the masses of open charmed mesons turn out to be …
We investigate the screening masses of neutral pions and sigma mesons in hot and magnetized quark matter in the framework of a two-flavor lattice-improved Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model with a magnetic field dependent coupling constant, which is determined by utilizing the results from lattice QCD simulations. Since such model can well reproduce inverse magnetic catalysis (IMC), by comparing with the standard NJL model, we systemically analyze the impacts of IMC on the temperature and magnetic field dependences of the longitudinal and transverse screening masses of the chiral partners, i.e. π^…
It is shown from a very general model and an analysis of data on the lightest 0++ meson nonet that the f0(980) and f0(1200) resonance poles are two manifestations of the same ss state. Similarily the a0(980) and the a0(1450) are likely to be two manifestations of the same qq state. On the other hand, the uu+dd state, when unitarized and strongly distorted by hadronic mass shifts, becomes an extremely broad Breit-Wigner-like background, m=860 MeV, Gamma=880 MeV, with its pole at s=(0.158-i0.235) GeV^2. This we identify with the sigma meson required by models for spontaneous breaking of chiral s…
The existence of quark matter inside the cores of heavy neutron stars is a possibility which can be probed with modern astrophysical observations. We use an (axial)vector meson extended quark-meson model to describe quark matter in the core of neutron stars. We discover that an additional parameter constraint is necessary in the quark model to ensure chiral restoration at high densities. By investigating hybrid star sequences with various parameter sets we show that low sigma meson masses are needed to fulfill the upper radius constraints, and that the maximum mass of stable hybrid stars is on…
We present a two-flavour linear sigma model with global chiral symmetry and (axial-)vector mesons as well as an additional glueball degree of freedom. We study the structure of the well-established scalar resonances f0(1370) and f0(1500): by a fit to experimentally known decay widths we find that f0(1370) is predominantly a \bar{q}q state and f0(1500) is predominantly a glueball state. The overall phenomenology of these two resonances can be well described. Other assignments for our mixed quarkonium-glueball states are also tested, but turn out to be in worse agreement with the phenomenology. …
A three flavor linear sigma model with vector and axial-vector mesons is discussed. Preliminary results concerning on the symmetry breaking pattern, the question of parameterization, as well as the resulting meson masses are presented.
The propagation of the scalar ($σ$) and vector ($ω$) mesons in nuclear matter is studied in detail using the Walecka model over a wide range of densities and including the effects of a finite $σ$ width through the inclusion of a two-pion loop. We calculate the dispersion relation and spectral functions of the $σ$ and (transverse and longitudinal) $ω$ mesons, including the effect of $σ$-$ω$ mixing in matter. It is shown that the mixing effect is quite important in the propagation of the (longitudinal) $ω$ and $σ$ mesons above normal nuclear matter density. We find that there is a two-peak struc…
We present an in-depth study of masses and decays of excited scalar and pseudoscalar $\bar{q}q$ states in the Extended Linear Sigma Model (eLSM). The model also contains ground-state scalar, pseudoscalar, vector and axial-vector mesons. The main objective is to study the consequences of the hypothesis that the $f_0(1790)$ resonance, observed a decade ago by the BES Collaboration and recently by LHCb, represents an excited scalar quarkonium. In addition we also analyse the possibility that the new $a_0(1950)$ resonance, observed recently by BABAR, may also be an excited scalar state. Both hypot…
The structure of the scalar mesons has been a subject of debate for many decades. In this work we look for $\bar{q}q$ states among the physical resonances using an extended Linear Sigma Model that contains scalar, pseudoscalar, vector, and axial-vector mesons both in the non-strange and strange sectors. We perform global fits of meson masses, decay widths and amplitudes in order to ascertain whether the scalar $\bar{q}q$ states are below or above 1 GeV. We find the scalar states above 1 GeV to be preferred as $\bar{q}q$ states.
The propagation of sigma meson in nuclear matter is studied in the Walecka model, assuming that the sigma couples to a pair of nucleon-antinucleon states and to particle-hole states, including the in medium effect of sigma-omega mixing. We have also considered, by completeness, the coupling of sigma to two virtual pions. We have found that the sigma meson mass decreases respect to its value in vacuum and that the contribution of the sigma omega mixing effect on the mass shift is relatively small.
We study the effect of sigma meson on the $D_1(2430) \to Dππ$ decay by constructing an effective Lagrangian preserving the chiral symmetry and the heavy quark symmetry. The sigma meson is included through a linear sigma model, in which both the $q\bar{q}$ and $qq\bar{q}\bar{q}$ states are incorporated respecting their different $U(1)_{A}$ transformation properties. We first fit the sigma meson mass and $σ$-$π$-$π$ coupling constant to the I=0, $S$-wave $π$-$π$ scattering data. Then, we show how the differential decay width $dΓ(D_1 \to D(ππ)_{I = 0, L =0})/d m_{ππ}$ depends on the quark structu…
The $σ$ meson exchange model for $ρ$ photoproduction at low energies is re-examined and a new model is developed by considering explicit two-pion exchange and the $f_2$ tensor meson exchange. The $f_2$ exchange model, which is motivated by the low energy proton-proton elastic scattering, is constructed by fully taking into account of the tensor structure of the $f_2$ meson interactions. Phenomenological informations together with tensor meson dominance and vector meson dominance assumptions are used to estimate the $f_2$ meson's coupling constants. For $2π$ exchange, the loop terms including i…
The quark-meson coupling (QMC) model, which has been successfully used to describe the properties of both infinite nuclear matter and finite nuclei, is applied to a systematic study of $Λ, Σ$ and $Ξ$ hypernuclei. Assumptions made in the present study are, (i) the (self-consistent) exchanged scalar, and vector, mesons couple only to the u and d quarks, and (ii) an SU(6) valence quark model for the bound nucleons and hyperon. The model automatically leads to a very weak spin-orbit interaction for the $Λ$ in a hypernucleus. Effects of the Pauli blocking at the quark level, particularly in the ope…
We consider vector and axialvector mesons in the framework of a gauged linear sigma model with chiral $U(N_f)_R \times U(N_f)_L$ symmetry. For $N_f=2$, we investigate the behavior of the chiral condensate and the meson masses as a function of temperature by solving a system of coupled Dyson-Schwinger equations derived via the 2PI formalism in double-bubble approximation. We find that the inclusion of vector and axialvector mesons tends to sharpen the chiral transition. Within our approximation scheme, the mass of the $ρ$ meson increases by about 100 MeV towards the chiral transition.
A variety of strong and electroweak interaction properties of the pion and the light scalar sigma meson are computed in a relativistic quark model. Under the assumption that the resulting coupling of these mesons to the constituent quarks is identical, the sigma meson mass is determined as M_sigma=385.4 MeV. We discuss in detail the gauging of the non-local meson-quark interaction and calculate the electromagnetic form factor of the pion and the form factors of the pi(0) -> gamma gamma and sigma -> gamma gamma processes. We obtain explicit expressions for the relevant form factors and evaluate…
We generalize the linear sigma model in order to develop a chiral-invariant model of nuclear structure. The model is natural, and contains not only the usual sigma meson which is the chiral partner of the pion but also a new chiral-singlet that is responsible for the medium-range nucleon-nucleon attraction. This approach provides significant advantages in terms of its description of nuclear matter and finite nuclei in comparison with conventional models based on the linear sigma model.
We investigate a linear sigma model with global chiral $U(2)_{R} \times U(2)_{L}$ symmetry. The mesonic degrees of freedom are the standard scalar and pseudoscalar mesons and the vector and axial-vector mesons. The baryonic degrees of freedom are the nucleon, $N$, and its chiral partner, $N^{*}$, which is usually identified with N(1535). The chiral partner is incorporated in the so-called mirror assignment, where the nucleon mass is not solely generated by the chiral condensate but also by a chirally invariant mass term, $m_{0}$. The presence of (axial-) vector fields modifies the expressions …
In the present work, the temperature dependence of the scalar mesons parameters is investigated in the framework of thermal QCD sum rules. We calculate sigma-pole and the non-resonant two-pion continuum contributions to the spectral density. Taking into account additional operators appearing at finite temperature, the thermal QCD sum rules are derived. The temperature dependence of the shifts in the mass and leptonic decay constant of scalar sigma(600) meson is calculated.
We calculate the physical mass and the width of the sigma meson by considering that it couples in vacuum to two virtual pions. The mass is calculated by using the spectral function, and we find that it is about 600MeV. In addition, we obtained the value of 250MeV for the width of its spectral function. The value obtained for the mass, is in an excellent agreement with that reported in the Particle data Book for the sigma meson, which is also named f0(600). This result also shows that the sigma meson can be considered as a two pion resonance.
Zero temperature properties of an (axial-) vector meson extended linear sigma model are discussed, concerning on the possible different realizations of the axial anomaly term. The different anomaly terms are compared with each other on the basis of a chi^2 minimalization process. It is found that there is no essential difference among the different realizations. This means that any of them can be equally used from phenomenological point of view.
We calculate the branching ratio of omega --> pi^+ pi^- gamma decay in a phenomenological framework in which the contributions of VMD, chiral loops, sigma-meson intermediate state amplitudes and the effects of omega-rho mixing are considered. We conclude that the sigma-meson intermediate state amplitude and omega-rho mixing make substantial contribution to the branching ratio.
We study the radiative $ρ^0\to π^+π^-γ$ and $ρ^0\to π^0π^0γ$ decays and we calculate their branching ratios using a phenomenological approach by adding to the amplitude calculated within the framework of chiral perturbation theory and vector meson dominance the amplitude of $σ$-meson intermediate state. Our results for the branching ratios are in good agreement with the experimental values.
We extend the three-flavor linear sigma model with (axial-)vector mesons to four flavors. We compute the masses of (pseudo)scalar and (axial-)vector mesons including open and hidden charmed mesons as well as weak decay constants. The results are in good agreement with experimental data.
Using recent experimental evidence from E791 on the sigma meson in D \to 3πdecays, we study the relevant couplings in D \to σπand σ\to π pi within the accepted theoretical framework for non leptonic D decays. We also review the linear sigma model, finding that it gives a description which is consistent with the experimental data.
We analyze the mixing nature of the low-lying scalar resonance consisting of the pipi composite and the elementary particle within the sigma model. A method to disentangle the mixing is formulated in the scattering theory with the concept of the two-level problem. We investigate the composite and elementary components of the sigma meson by changing a mixing parameter. We also study the dependence of the results on model parameters such as the cut-off value and the mass of the elementary sigma meson.
We evaluate the pion-nucleon and the pion-Delta sigma terms by employing the method of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) sum rules. The obtained value of the pion-nucleon sigma term is compatible with the larger values already anticipated by the recent calculations. It is also found that the pion-Delta sigma term is as large as the pion-nucleon sigma term.
We calculate low-energy meson decay processes and pion-pion scattering lengths in a two-flavour linear sigma model with global chiral symmetry, exploring the scenario in which the scalar mesons $f_0$(600) and $a_0$(980) are assumed to be $\bar q q$ states.
We show that the non-strange scalar $σ$ meson, as now reported in the 1996 PDG tables, is a natural consequence of crossing symmetry as well as chiral dynamics for both strong interaction low energy $ππ$ scattering and also $K \to 2π$ weak decays.
We reply to the comment of Harada, Sannino and Schechter (hep-ph/9609428) on our recent paper in the Phys. Rev. Letters on the sigma meson. This concerns the question, raised by Isgur and Speth in another comment, of whether a detailed crossing symmetric form is necessary to understand the data. The discussion gives further support on the existence of the broad sigma near 500 MeV.
The pi0 pi0 mass spectra and angular distributions around KKbar -threshold and at 1.5 GeV in ppbar (at rest) --> 3 pi0 in the Crystal Barrel experiment are reanalyzed by applying the new method, which is consistent with unitarity of S-matrix and expressed directly by resonance parameters. The effects of light sigma-meson production are clearly seen to improve the fit with sigma, in comparing with the fit without sigma.
Chiral symmetry restoration at nonzero temperature is studied in the framework of the O(4) linear sigma model and the U(N_f)_r x U(N_f)_l linear sigma model with N_f=2,3, and 4 quark flavors. We investigate the temperature dependence of the masses of the scalar and pseudoscalar mesons, and the non-strange, strange, and charm condensates within the Hartree approximation as derived from the Cornwall-Jackiw-Tomboulis formalism. We find that the masses of the non-strange and strange mesons at nonzero temperature depend sensitively on the particular symmetry of the model and the number of light qua…
We study the thermodynamics of the linear sigma model with constituent quarks beyond the mean-field approximation. By integrating out the quark degrees of freedom we derive an effective action for the meson fields which is then linearized around the ground state including field fluctuations. We propose a new method for performing exact averaging of complicated functions over the meson field fluctuations. Both thermal and zero-point fluctuations are considered. The chiral condensate and the effective meson masses are determined self-consistently in a rigorous thermodynamic framework. At zero ch…
Applying the effective amplitude, which is evidently consistent with general constraints from chiral symmetry, the pipi spectra in the relevant processes are analyzed, leading to a strong evidence for existence of the light sigma meson. It is also pointed out that the pipi scattering process, which had been one of the main sources for PDG table for these many years, is, in principle, exceptionally difficult to investigate the property of sigma-meson.
An important role of the scalar isoscalar sigma-meson in the low-energy physics is discussed. The behavior of the sigma-meson in the hot and dense medium is studied. It is shown that in the vicinity of critical values of temperature(T) and chemical potential(m) the sigma-meson can become a sharp resonance. This effect can lead to a strong enhancement of the processes pi pi -> gamma gamma and pi pi-> pi pi near the two-pion threshold. Experimental observation of this phenomenon can be interpreted as a signal of approaching the domain where the chiral symmetry restoration and phase transition of…
We study the a0 and sigma mesons with the overlap fermion in the chiral regime with the pion mass as low as 182 MeV in the quenched approximation. After the eta'pi ghost states are separated, we find that the a0 mass with q\bar{q} interpolation field to be almost independent of the quark mass in the region below the strange quark mass. The chirally extrapolated results are consistent with a0(1450) being the u\bar{d} meson and K0*(1430) being the u\bar{s} meson with calculated masses at 1.42+_0.13 GeV and 1.41+_ 0.12 GeV respectively. We also calculate the scalar mesonium with a tetraquark inte…
We present an updated analysis of meson-baryon sigma terms in the perturbative chiral quark model, which is based on effective chiral Lagrangian. The new feature concerns the inclusion of excited states in the quark propagator. Its influence on meson loops is shown to lead in particular for the pion-nucleon sigma term to an enhancement relevant for the current evaluation of this quantity. We also determine various flavor combinations of the scalar nucleon form factors and their respective low-momentum transfer limits.
