69 research outputs found
Generalized polarizabilities of the pion in chiral perturbation theory
We present a calculation of the virtual Compton scattering amplitude for at . We explicitly derive expressions for generalized electromagnetic polarizabilities and discuss alternative definitions of these quantities
Pion Generalized Dipole Polarizabilities by Virtual Compton Scattering
We present a calculation of the cross section and the event generator of the
reaction . This reaction is sensitive to the pion
generalized dipole polarizabilities, namely, the longitudinal electric
, the transverse electric , and the magnetic
which, in the real-photon limit, reduce to the ordinary electric
and magnetic polarizabilities and , respectively.
The calculation of the cross section is done in the framework of chiral
perturbation theory at . A pion VCS event generator has been
written which is ready for implementation in GEANT simulation codes or for
independent use.Comment: 33 pages, Revtex, 15 figure
Final-sate radiation in electron-positron annihilation into a pion pair
The process of annihilation into a pair with radiation
of a photon is considered. The amplitude of the reaction
consists of the model independent initial-state
radiation (ISR) and model-dependent final-state radiation (FSR). The general
structure of the FSR tensor is constructed from Lorentz covariance, gauge
invariance and discrete symmetries in terms of the three invariant functions.
To calculate these functions we apply Chiral Perturbation Theory (ChPT) with
vector and axial-vector mesons. The contribution of
process to the muon anomalous magnetic moment is evaluated, and results are
compared with the dominant contribution in the framework of a hybrid model,
consisting of VMD and point-like scalar eletrodynamics. The developed approach
allows us also to calculate the charge asymmetry.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figure
Generalized dipole polarizabilities and the spatial structure of hadrons
We present a phenomenological discussion of spin-independent, generalized
dipole polarizabilities of hadrons entering the virtual Compton scattering
process gamma* h -> gamma h. We introduce a new method of obtaining a tensor
basis with appropriate Lorentz-invariant amplitudes which are free from
kinematical singularities and constraints. We then motivate a gauge-invariant
separation into a generalized Born term containing ground-state properties
only, and a residual contribution describing the model-dependent internal
structure. The generalized dipole polarizabilities are defined in terms of
Lorentz-invariant residual amplitudes. Particular emphasis is laid on a
physical interpretation of these quantities as characterizing the spatial
distributions of the induced electric polarization and magnetization of
hadrons. It is argued that three dipole polarizabilities, namely the
longitudinal electric alpha_L(q^2), the transverse electric alpha_T(q^2), and
the magnetic beta(q^2) ones are required in order to fully reconstruct local
polarizations induced by soft external fields in a hadron. One of these
polarizabilities, alpha_T(q^2), describes an effect of higher order in the soft
final-photon momentum q'. We argue that the associated spatial distributions
obtained via the Fourier transforms in the Breit frame are meaningful even for
such a light particle as the pion. The spatial distributions are determined at
large distances r ~ 1/m_pi for pions, kaons, and octet baryons by use of ChPT.Comment: 41 pages, 5 figures, RevTex fil
Radiative pion capture by a nucleon
The differential cross sections for and are computed up to in heavy baryon chiral perturbation
theory (HBChPT). The expressions at and have no free
parameters. There are three unknown parameters at , low energy
constants of the HBChPT Lagrangian, which are determined by fitting to
experimental data. Two acceptable fits are obtained, which can be separated by
comparing with earlier dispersion relation calculations of the inverse process.
Expressions for the multipoles, with emphasis on the p-wave multipoles, are
obtained and evaluated at threshold. Generally the results obtained from the
best of the two fits are in good agreement with the dispersion relation
predictions.Comment: 24 pages, Latex, using RevTe
(4,4) superfield supergravity
We present the N=4 superspace constraints for the two-dimensional (2d)
off-shell (4,4) supergravity with the superfield strengths expressed in terms
of a (4,4) twisted (scalar) multiplet TM-I, as well as the corresponding
component results, in a form suitable for applications. The constraints are
shown to be invariant under the N=4 super-Weyl transformations, whose N=4
superfield parameters form another twisted (scalar) multiplet TM-II. To solve
the constraints, we propose the Ansatz which makes the N=4 superconformal
flatness of the N=4 supergravity curved superspace manifest. The locally (4,4)
supersymmetric TM-I matter couplings, with the potential terms resulting from
spontaneous supersymmetry breaking, are constructed. We also find the full
(4,4) superconformally invariant (improved) TM-II matter action. The latter can
be extended to the (4,4) locally supersymmetric Liouville action which is
suitable for describing (4,4) supersymmetric non-critical strings.Comment: 32 pages, LaTeX, revised version (one reference added, and one
Appendix is reduced
Evaluating Frequency, Diagnostic Quality, and Cost of Lyme Borreliosis Testing in Germany: A Retrospective Model Analysis
Background. Data on the economic impact of Lyme borreliosis (LB) on European health care systems is scarce. This project focused on the epidemiology and costs for laboratory testing in LB patients in Germany. Materials and Methods. We performed a sentinel analysis of epidemiological and medicoeconomic data for 2007 and 2008. Data was provided by a German statutory health insurance (DAK) company covering approx. 6.04 million members. In addition, the quality of diagnostic testing for LB in Germany was studied. Results. In 2007 and 2008, the incident diagnosis LB was coded on average for 15,742 out of 6.04 million insured members (0.26%). 20,986 EIAs and 12,558 immunoblots were ordered annually for these patients. For all insured members in the outpatient sector, a total of 174,820 EIAs and 52,280 immunoblots were reimbursed annually to health care providers (cost: 2,600,850€). For Germany, the overall expected cost is estimated at 51,215,105€. However, proficiency testing data questioned test quality and standardization of diagnostic assays used. Conclusion. Findings from this study suggest ongoing issues related to care for LB and may help to improve future LB disease management
First Measurement of pi e -> pi e gamma Pion Virtual Compton Scattering
Pion Virtual Compton Scattering (VCS) via the reaction pi e --> pi e gamma
was observed in the Fermilab E781 SELEX experiment. SELEX used a 600 GeV/c pi-
beam incident on target atomic electrons, detecting the incident pi- and the
final state pi-, electron and gamma. Theoretical predictions based on chiral
perturbation theory are incorporated into a Monte Carlo simulation of the
experiment and are compared to the data. The number of reconstructed events (9)
and their distribution with respect to the kinematic variables (for the
kinematic region studied) are in reasonable accord with the predictions. The
corresponding pi- VCS experimental cross section is sigma=38.8+-13 nb, in
agreement with the theoretical expectation sigma=34.7 nb.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables, 25 references, SELEX home page is
http://fn781a.fnal.gov/, revised July 21, 2002 in response to journal referee
Comment
Chiral effective field theories of the strong interactions
Effective field theories of the strong interactions based on the approximate
chiral symmetry of QCD provide a model-independent approach to low-energy
hadron physics. We give a brief introduction to mesonic and baryonic chiral
perturbation theory and discuss a number of applications. We also consider the
effective field theory including vector and axial-vector mesons.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, proceedings of "Many-Body Structure of Strongly
Interacting Systems", Mainz, Germany, Feb. 23-25 201
Matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity and a downregulated Hedgehog pathway impair blood-brain barrier function in an <i>in vitro</i> model of CNS tuberculosis
Central nervous system tuberculosis (CNS TB) has a high mortality and morbidity associated with severe inflammation. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the brain from inflammation but the mechanisms causing BBB damage in CNS TB are uncharacterized. We demonstrate that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) causes breakdown of type IV collagen and decreases tight junction protein (TJP) expression in a co-culture model of the BBB. This increases permeability, surface expression of endothelial adhesion molecules and leukocyte transmigration. TJP breakdown was driven by Mtb-dependent secretion of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9. TJP expression is regulated by Sonic hedgehog (Shh) through transcription factor Gli-1. In our model, the hedgehog pathway was downregulated by Mtb-stimulation, but Shh levels in astrocytes were unchanged. However, Scube2, a glycoprotein regulating astrocyte Shh release was decreased, inhibiting Shh delivery to brain endothelial cells. Activation of the hedgehog pathway by addition of a Smoothened agonist or by addition of exogenous Shh, or neutralizing MMP-9 activity, decreased permeability and increased TJP expression in the Mtb-stimulated BBB co-cultures. In summary, the BBB is disrupted by downregulation of the Shh pathway and breakdown of TJPs, secondary to increased MMP-9 activity which suggests that these pathways are potential novel targets for host directed therapy in CNS TB
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