We use the linear sigma model with quarks to find the magnetic field-induced modifications to the neutral pion mass at one-loop level. The magnetic field effects are introduced by using charged particle propagators in the presence of a magnetic background in the strong field regime. We show that when accounting for the effects of the magnetic field on the model couplings, the vacuum sigma field and the neutral pion self-energy, the neutral pion mass decreases monotonically as a function of the field strength. We find an excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement with recent lattice QCD calculations, reproducing the monotonically decreasing trend with the field strength as well as the decrease when lattice data approaches the physical vacuum pion mass from larger values.
Working within the linear sigma model at finite temperature, we construct effective one-loop vertices and propagators satisfying the chiral Ward identities, for small pion momentum and mass compared to the sigma mass. We obtain an expansion for the pion dispersion relation up to second order in the parameter m_pi^2/4pi^2f_pi^2. At leading order, this expansion reproduces the dispersion curve obtained in chiral perturbation theory. We also study pion damping and compute the mean free path for pions traveling in the medium before forming a sigma resonance. These results are also in good agreemen…
We calculate the neutral pion mass in the presence of an external magnetic field of arbitrary strength in the framework of the linear sigma model coupled to quarks at zero temperature. We find nonmonotonic behavior of the pion mass as a function of magnetic field. We are also able to reproduce existing results for the weak-field approximation.
The pion-nucleon sigma term is shown to be equal to the Goldberger-Treiman discrepancy at tree level. Its value estimated this way is very sensitive to the pion-nucleon coupling constant g_{pi NN}. This relation, when combined with the pion-nucleon S-wave scattering lengths, yields a new determination of g_{pi NN} at tree level. The results of a one-loop analysis are also summarized determining an allowed range for the induced pseudoscalar coupling constant g_P.
The latest measurements of the atomic level width in Sigma-hyperonic Pb atom offer the most accurate datum in the region of low-energy Sigma-hyperon physics. Atomic widths are due to the conversion of Sigma-nucleon into Lambda-nucleon. In high angular momentum states this conversion is dominated by the one-pion exchange. A joint analysis of the data of the scattering of negative-Sigma on proton converting into a Lambda and a neutron and of the atomic widths allows to extract a pseudovector pion-hyperon-Sigma coupling constant of 0.048 with a statistical error of +-0.005 and a systematic one of…
We develop one-loop effective vertices and propagators in the linear sigma model at finite temperature satisfying the chiral Ward identities. We use these in turn to compute the pion dispersion relation in a pion medium for small momentum and temperatures on the order of the pion mass at next to leading order in the parameter m_pi^2/4pi^2f_pi^2 and to zeroth order in the parameter (m_pi/m_sigma)^2. We show that this expansion reproduces the result obtained from chiral perturbation theory at leading order. The main effect is a perturbative, temperature-dependent increase of the pion mass. We fi…
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 calculate the variation of the chiral condensate in medium with respect to the quark chemical potential and evaluate the pion-nucleon sigma term via the Hellmann-Feynman theorem. The variation of chiral condensate in medium are obtained by solving the truncated Dyson-Schwinger equation for quark propagator at finite chemical potential, with different models for the quark-gluon vertex and gluon propagator. We obtain the value of the sigma term $σ_{πN}$ = 62(1)(2) MeV, where the first represents the systematic error due to our different model for the quark-gluon vertex and gluon propagator an…
Fermilab E781 plans measurements of gamma-Sigma and $γ$-pion interactions using a 600 GeV beam of Sigmas and pions, and a virtual photon target. Pion polarizabilities and radiative transitions will be measured in this experiment. The former can test a precise prediction of chiral symmetry; the latter for a_1(1260) ----> pi + gamma is important for understanding the polarizability. The experiment also measures polarizabilities and radiative transitions for Sigma hyperons. The polarizabilities can test predictions of baryon chiral perturbation theory. The radiative transitions to the Sigma*(1385…
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.
A modified linear sigma model that allows for $g_A = 1.26$ by addition of vector and pseudovector $πN$ coupling terms was discussed by Bjorken and Nauenberg and by Lee. In this extended linear sigma model the elastic $π$N scattering amplitudes satisfy the relevant chiral low-energy theorems, such as the Weinberg-Tomozawa relation for the isovector scattering length and in some cases Adler's "consistency condition". The agreement of the isospin symmetric $πN$ scattering length with experiment is substantially improved in this extended sigma model as compared with the original one. We show that …
We study how we can understand the change of the spectral function and the pole location of the correlation function for sigma at finite temperature, which were previously obtained in the linear sigma model with a resummation technique called optimized perturbation theory. There are two relevant poles in the sigma channel. One pole is the original sigma pole which shows up as a broad peak at zero temperature and becomes lighter as the temperature increases. The behavior is understood from the decreasing of the sigma condensate, which is consistent with the Brown-Rho scaling. The other pole cha…
A dependence of the value of the pion-nucleon sigma term on higher partial waves is discussed. Two recent predictions of a high value of sigma term are scrutinezed. It has been concluded that the main reason for obtaining high values of the sigma term are input D waves that are not consistent with analyticity.
Gribov's theory of confinement offers a simple explanaton of the value of the pion nucleon sigma term. There is no need to invoke a large strange quark component in the nucleon.
We calculate pion-pion scattering lengths and sigma, rho and a1 decay widths from a gauged linear sigma model with two flavours and its globally invariant generalisation.
The value of $59 \pm 12$ MeV for the pion-nucleon ($πN$) $Σ$ term, which Stahov, Clement, and Wagner recently extracted from the differential cross sections (DCSs) of the CHAOS Collaboration, does not match well the expectation of an enhanced (more positive) isoscalar component in the $πN$ interaction at low energies, which the rest of the modern (meson-factory) data favour. However, we have already demonstrated that the angular distribution of the CHAOS $π^+ p$ DCSs is not compatible in shape with the rest of the modern low-energy $π^+ p$ data. This problem must be addressed and resolved by t…
We study the third order pion-nucleon scattering amplitude obtained from heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory inside the Mandelstam triangle. We reconstruct the pion-nucleon amplitude in the unphysical region by use of dispersion relations and determine the pertinent low-energy constants by a fit to this amplitude. A detailed comparison with values obtained from phase shift analysis is given. Our analysis leads to a pion-nucleon sigma-term of sigma(0) = 40 MeV based on the Karlsruhe partial wave analysis. We have repeated the same procedure using the latest solution of the VPI group and fin…
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.
The pion-nucleon $σ$-term can be stringently constrained by the combination of analyticity, unitarity, and crossing symmetry with phenomenological information on the pion-nucleon scattering lengths. Recently, lattice calculations at the physical point have been reported that find lower values by about $3σ$ with respect to the phenomenological determination. We point out that a lattice measurement of the pion-nucleon scattering lengths could help resolve the situation by testing the values extracted from spectroscopy measurements in pionic atoms.
We enforce chiral Ward identities on the vertices of the linear sigma model to take into account the width of the scalar sigma, considered as a true physical resonance. We consider pion scattering at very low energies and, from a fit to the measured phase shifts in the various angular momentum and isospin channels, conclude a mass for the sigma of 600+200-100 MeV. Its width turns out to be of the same size.
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^…
The pion-nucleon amplitude is considered in the vicinity of the elastic scattering threshold within a relativistic dynamical model dressing the pi N N and pi N Delta vertices self-consistently with an infinite number of meson loops. The dressing is formulated as solution of a system of coupled integral equations incorporating unitarity, crossing symmetry and analyticity constraints. The calculated scattering lengths and the sigma-term agree with recent data analyses. The dressing is important in this model both below and at threshold. The contribution of the Delta resonance is discussed, inclu…
Threshold neutral pion photoproduction on light nuclei is studied in the framework of baryon chiral perturbation theory. We obtain a general formula for the electric dipole amplitude in the special case of neutral pion photoproduction on a nucleus. To third order in small momenta, the amplitude is a sum of 2- and 3-body interactions with no undetermined parameters. With reasonable input from the single nucleon sector, our result for neutral pion photoproduction on the deuteron is in agreement with experiment.
We have reanalyzed the $π^{\pm} p$ scattering data at low energy in the Coulomb-nuclear interference region as measured by the CHAOS group at TRIUMF with the aim to determine the pion-nucleon $σ$ term. The resulting value $σ=(44\pm 12)$ MeV, while in agreement with lattice QCD calculations and compatible with other recent analyses, is significantly lower than that from the GWU-TRIUMF analysis of 2002.
I review the interesting tale of the electric dipole amplitude in neutral pion photoproduction and the resulting consequences. I also discuss why there is new life related to P--wave multipoles. Electroproduction is briefly touched upon.
A dispersion framework, appropriate for discussing the low-energy pion-nucleon interaction, is reviewed. Sensitivity of the isoscalar D-amplitude at the unphysical Cheng-Dashen point to input from different phase shift analyses and low-energy experiments is discussed.
We compute the neutral pion mass dependence on a magnetic field in the weak field approximation at one-loop order. The calculation is carried out within the linear sigma model coupled to quarks and using Schwinger's proper-time representation for the charged particle propagators. We find that the neutral pion mass decreases with the field strength provided the boson self-coupling magnetic field corrections are also included. The calculation should be regarded as the setting of the trend for the neutral pion mass as the magnetic field is turned on.
The pion-nucleon sigma term is a quantity involved in many important aspects of particle and nuclear physics. In this review I show its origin and how it is connected to important questions as the origin of mass of the ordinary matter, studies of dark matter detection and nucleosynthesis. I mention the most common methods used to obtain the sigma term, and comment on the extracted values. As it is shown, the accepted value of the sigma term has been moving from relatively low ($\sim 40$ MeV) to larger ones ($\sim 60$ MeV) until today, where this controversy still persist.
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 calculate the pion decay constant near the critical temperature of the $O(N)$ nonlinear sigma model in the large $N$ limit. Making use of the known low temperature behavior, we construct a Padé approximant to obtain the behavior of $f_π(T)$ at all temperatures.
We study the pion-nucleon sigma term in vacuum and in nuclear matter in the framework of global color model of QCD. With the effective gluon propagator being taken as the $δ$-function in momentum space of Munczek-Nomirovsky model, we estimate that the sigma term at chiral limit in the vacuum is 9/2 times the current quark mass and it decreases with the nuclear matter density. With the presently obtained in-medium pion-nucleon sigma term, we study the in-medium chiral quark condensate and obtain a reasonable variation behavior against the nuclear matter density.
A new result for the pion nucleon Sigma term from a George Washington University/TRIUMF group analysis of pion nucleon data is presented. The value Sigma=79$\pm$7 MeV was obtained, compared to the canonical value 64$\pm$8 MeV found by Koch. The difference is explained simply by the PSI pionic hydrogen value for a(pi -p), the latest results for the $πNN$ coupling onstant, and a narrower Delta resonance. Many systematic effects have been investigated, including Coulomb corrections, and database changes, and our results are found to be robust. In the standard interpretation, our value of Sigma im…
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 present an exploratory study of two pion photo-- and electroproduction off the nucleon in the threshold region. To calculate the pertinent amplitudes, we make use of heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory. We show that due to finite chiral loops the production cross section for final states with two neutral pions is considerably enhanced. The experimental implications are briefly discussed.
We report the results of the working group on ``Pion (Kaon) and Sigma Polarizabilities''. Interesting possibilities to measure these polarizabilities include the radiative pion photoproduction in the MAMI experiment at Mainz, as well as at the GRAAL facility (actually the latter is being considered for an experimental determination of the pion polarizabilities here for the first time), the experimental plans on Primakoff effect at FNAL, and the measurements at the Frascati $Φ$-factory DA$Φ$NE.
The electromagnetic pion form factor, $F_π(q^2)$, is calculated for spacelike-$q^2$ in impulse approximation using a confining quark propagator, $S$, and a dressed quark-photon vertex, $Γ_μ$, obtained from realistic, nonperturbative Dyson-Schwinger equation studies. Good agreement with the available data is obtained for $F_π(q^2)$ and other pion observables, including the decay $π^0 \rightarrow γ\,γ$. This calculation suggests that soft, nonperturbative contributions dominate $F_π(q^2)$ at presently accessible~$q^2$.
We review the large-N_c approach to meson-baryon scattering, including recent interesting developments. We then study pion-nucleon scattering in a particular variant of the linear sigma-model, in which the couplings of the sigma and pi mesons to the nucleon are echoed by couplings to the entire tower of I=J baryons (including the Delta) as dictated by large-N_c group theory. We sum the complete set of multi-loop meson-exchange πN --> πN and πN --> σN Feynman diagrams, to leading order in 1/N_c. The key idea, reviewed in detail, is that large-N_c allows the approximation of LOOP graphs by TREE …
In this article, we present the charged and neutral current coherent pion production in the neutrino-nucleus interaction in the resonance region using the formalism based on the partially conserved axial current (PCAC) theorem which relates the neutrino-nucleus cross section to the pion-nucleus elastic cross section. The pion nucleus elastic cross section is calculated using the Glauber model approach. We calculate the integrated cross sections for neutrino-carbon, neutrino-iron and neutrino-oxygen scattering. The results of integrated cross-section calculations are compared with the measured …
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…
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…
The pion nucleon sigma-term is extracted on the basis of the soliton picture of the nucleon from the mass spectrum of usual and the recently observed exotic baryons, assuming that they have positive parity. The value found is consistent with that inferred by means of conventional methods from pion nucleon scattering data. The study can also be considered as a phenomenological consistency check of the soliton picture of baryons.
In this article we describe our studies of the sigma meson, f_0(500), using two-pion correlation functions. We use lattice quantum chromodynamics in the quenched approximation with so-called clover fermions. By working at unphysical pion masses we are able to identify a would-be resonance with mass less than $2 m_π$, and then extrapolate to the physical point. We include the most important annihilation diagram, which is "partially disconnnected" or "single annihilation." Because this diagram is quite expensive to compute, we introduce a somewhat novel technique for the computation of all-to-al…
Approximate mean-field equations of motion for the classical chiral field are developed within the linear sigma model by means of a Hartree factorization. Both the approximate and the unapproximated equations of motion are augmented with a Rayleigh cooling term to emulate a uniform expansion, thereby allowing the extraction of observables relevant to the detection of disoriented chiral condensates, specifically the pion power spectrum, the pion correlation function, and the distribution of the neutral pion fraction. While the mean-field dynamics appears to be sufficiently accurate to be practi…
Near threshold neutral pion electroproduction on the deuteron is studied in the framework of baryon chiral perturbation theory at next-to-leading order in the chiral expansion. We develop the multipole decomposition for pion production off spin-1 particles appropriate for the threshold region. The existing data at photon virtuality k^2 = -0.1 GeV^2 can be described satisfactorily. Furthermore, the prediction for the S-wave multipole E_d at the photon point is in good agreement with the data.
Multiple soft pion production in the baryon scattering reactions is considered in the framework of chiral nonlinear sigma model neglecting the pion mass. Treating baryons in the eikonal approximation as classical sources, a set of analytical solutions for the pion field is found. A tree S-matrix is constructed on the basis of these solutions describing the emission (or absorption) of any number of soft pions. Then the contribution of soft virtual pions is taken into account in a closed form. It is shown that the loop corrections strongly suppress the pion radiation, and for the two limiting ca…
In order to fix the parameters for predictions of hard photon and pion production in $Au+Au$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV, proton-proton and proton-nucleus data are analyzed in perturbative QCD in the energy range $\sqrt{s} \approx 20-60$ GeV and a prediction at RHIC energy is given.
We construct effective one-loop vertices and propagators in the linear sigma model at finite temperature, satisfying the chiral Ward identities and thus respecting chiral symmetry, treating the pion momentum, pion mass and temperature as small compared to the sigma mass. We use these objects to compute the two-loop pion self-energy. We find that the perturbative behavior of physical quantities, such as the temperature dependence of the pion mass, is well defined in this kinematical regime in terms of the parameter m_pi^2/4pi^2f_pi^2 and show that an expansion in terms of this reproduces the di…
We extend the study of a JP=2+, I=3/2 pion-Lambda-nucleon quasibound state [Phys. Rev. D 78, 014013 (2008)] by solving nonrelativistic Faddeev equations, using 3S1-3D1, Lambda N - Sigma N coupled channels Chiral Quark Model local interactions, and pion-nucleon and coupled pion-Lambda - pion-Sigma separable interactions fitted to the position and decay parameters of the Delta(1232) and Sigma(1385) resonances, respectively. The results exhibit a strong sensitivity to the p-wave pion-hyperon interaction, with a pion-Lambda-nucleon quasibound state persisting over a wide range of acceptable parame…
We investigate the influence of new GRAAL Sigma-beam asymmetry measurements on the neutron in multipole fits to the single-pion photoproduction database. Results are compared to those found with the addition of a double-polarization quantity associated with the sum rule.
The pion-mass dependence of the nucleon mass within the covariant SU(2) baryon chiral perturbation theory both without and with explicit Delta(1232) degrees of freedom up to order p^4 is investigated. By fitting to lattice QCD data in 2 and 2+1 flavors from several collaborations, for pion masses M_pi < 420 MeV, we obtain low energy constants of natural size and compatible with pion nucleon scattering data. Our results are consistent with the rather linear pion-mass dependence showed by lattice QCD. In the 2 flavor case we have also performed simultaneous fits to the nucleon mass and pion-nucl…
We summarize recent evidence, both from lattice QCD and chiral perturbation theory, that suggests that larger-than-expected excited-state contamination could be the reason for the tension between phenomenological determinations and previous direct lattice-QCD calculations of the pion--nucleon sigma term $σ_{πN}$. In addition, we extend the $χ$PT analysis by calculating the corrections due to including the $Δ(1232)$ resonance as an explicit degree of freedom. This correction is found to be small, thereby corroborating the excited-state effects found in the $Δ$-less calculation and the result fo…
We consider the chiral expansion of the threshold amplitude for the reaction $γp \to π^0 π^0 p$ to order ${\cal O}(M_π^2)$. We substantiate a claim that this photoproduction channel is significantly enhanced close to threshold due to pion loops. A precise measurement of the corresponding cross sections is called for which allows to test chiral perturbation theory.
We discuss the mixing between the sigma meson sigma and the "pure" glueball field H and study the decays of the scalar glueball candidates f_0(1370), f_0(1500) and f_0(1710) (a linear combination of sigma and H) into two pions in an effective linear sigma model.
We calculate electromagnetic neutral pion production off tri-nucleon bound states (3H, 3He) at threshold in chiral nuclear effective field theory to fourth order in the standard heavy baryon counting. We show that the fourth order two-nucleon corrections to the S-wave multipoles at threshold are very small. This implies that a precise measurement of the S-wave cross section for neutral pion production off 3He allows for a stringent test of the chiral perturbation theory prediction for the S-wave electric multipole E_{0+}^{pi0 n}.
Chiral Ward identities lead to consistent accounting for the sigma's width in the linear sigma model's Feynman rules. Reanalysis of pion scattering data at threshold imply a mass for the sigma of 600+ 200 - 100 MeV.
We calculate the "pi Sigma Lambda" and "pi Sigma Sigma" coupling constants in light cone QCD sum rules for the structure "sigma_{alpha beta} gamma_5 p^alpha q^beta". A comparison of our results on these coupling constants with prediction of the SU(3) symmetry is presented.
We investigate near threshold neutral pion photoproduction off protons to fourth order in heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory in the light of the new data from MAMI. We show that the unitarity cusp at the secondary π^+ n threshold is in agreement with expectations from the final state theorem. We also analyze the fourth order corrections to the P-wave low-energy theorems and show that potentially large Delta-isobar contributions are cancelled by sizeable pion loop effects. This solidifies the parameter free third order predictions, which are in excellent agreement with the data.
Threshold neutral pion electroproduction on the deuteron is studied in the framework of baryon chiral perturbation theory at next-to-leading order in the chiral expansion. To this order in small momenta, the amplitude is finite and a sum of two- and three-body interactions with no undetermined parameters. We calculate the S-wave multipoles for threshold production and the deuteron S-wave cross section as a function of the photon virtuality. We also discuss the sensitivity to the elementary neutron amplitudes.
We use a configuration space chiral model in order to evaluate nucleon and delta sigma-terms. Analytic expressions are consistent with chiral counting rules and give rise to expected non-analytic terms in the chiral limit. We obtain the results $σ_N=46$ MeV and $σ_Δ=32$ MeV, which are very close to values extracted from experiment and produced by other groups.
