Dispersion Theory in Electromagnetic Interactions

We review various applications of dispersion relations (DRs) to the electromagnetic structure of hadrons. We discuss the way DRs allow one to extract information on hadron structure constants by connecting information from complementary scattering processes. We consider the real and virtual Compton scattering processes off the proton, and summarize recent advances in the DR analysis of experimental data to extract the proton polarizabilities, in comparison with alternative studies based on chiral effective field theories. We discuss a multipole analysis of real Compton scattering data, along with a DR fit of the energy-dependent dynamical polarizabilities. Furthermore, we review new sum rules for the double-virtual Compton scattering process off the proton, which allow for model independent relations between polarizabilities in real and virtual Compton scattering, and moments of nucleon structure functions. The information on the double-virtual Compton scattering is used to predict and constrain the polarizability corrections to muonic hydrogen spectroscopy.Comment: preprint version of a review to appear in Ann. Rev. Nucl. Part. Sci. 68 (2018

Light-Front Densities for Transversely Polarized Hadrons

We discuss the recent interpretation of quark distribution functions in the plane transverse to the light-cone direction. Such a mapping is model independent and allows one to build multidimensional pictures of the hadron and to develop a semi-classical intuition of the quark dynamics. We comment briefly the results obtained from the Form Factors of the nucleon. A generalization to a target with arbitrary spin led to a set of preferred values for the electromagnetic coupling characterizing structureless particles. Generalized polarizabilities can also be interpreted in that frame as the distortion of the charge densities due to an external electromagnetic field. Finally, we present preliminary results for the Generalized Transverse-Momentum dependent Distributions which encode in principle the most complete information about quark distributions.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, 1 table; contribution to the proceedings of "The 4th Workshop on Exclusive Reactions at High Momentum Transfer", Jefferson Lab., May 18-21, 201

Two-photon exchange contribution to elastic e−e^--proton scattering: Full dispersive treatment of πN\pi N states and comparison with data

We evaluate the two-photon exchange correction to the elastic electron-proton scattering cross section within a dispersive framework. Besides the elastic contribution, we account for all $\pi N$ intermediate state contributions using the phenomenological MAID fit as an input. We develop a novel method for the analytical continuation of the two-photon exchange amplitudes into the unphysical region and generalize our previous work to the momentum transfer region $0.064~\mathrm{GeV}^2 \lesssim Q^2 \lesssim 1~\mathrm{GeV}^2$. We compare our results with recent OLYMPUS, CLAS and VEPP-3 data as well as with empirical fits and estimates in the forward angular region.Comment: 43 pages, 21 figures, version published in Phys. Rev. D 96, 096001 (2017

Dispersive evaluation of the D-term form factor in deeply virtual Compton scattering

We present a dispersive representation of the D-term form factor for hard exclusive reactions, using unsubtracted $t$-channel dispersion relations. The $t$-channel unitarity relation is saturated with the contribution of two-pion intermediate states, using the two-pion distributions amplitude for the $\gamma^*\gamma\rightarrow \pi\pi$ subprocess and reconstructing the $\pi\pi\rightarrow N\bar N$ subprocess from available information on pion-nucleon partial-wave helicity amplitudes. Results for the D-term form factor as function of $t$ as well as at $t=0$ are discussed in comparison with available model predictions and phenomenological parametrizations.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures; improved presentation of the results; version to appear in Phys. Lett.

Light-front interpretation of Proton Generalized Polarizabilities

We extend the recently developed formalism to extract light-front quark charge densities from nucleon form factor data to the deformations of these quark charge densities when applying an external electric field. We show that the resulting induced polarizations can be extracted from proton generalized polarizabilities. The available data for the generalized electric polarizabilitiy of the proton yield a pronounced structure in its induced polarization at large transverse distances, which will be pinned down by forthcoming high precision virtual Compton scattering experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, reference added, minor typos correcte

Dispersion analysis for generalized spin polarizabilities

We report on a dispersion relation formalism for the virtual Compton scattering (VCS) reaction on the proton, which for the first time allows a dispersive evaluation of 4 generalized polarizabilities. The dispersion formalism provides a new tool to analyze VCS experiments above pion threshold, thus increasing the sensitivity to the generalized polarizabilities of the nucleon.Comment: 5pages, 2 figures, to appear in the Proceedings of the Symposium on the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn Sum Rule and the Spin Structure in the Nucleon Resonance Region (GDH2000), June 14-17 2000, Mainz, German

Dispersion relation formalism for virtual Compton scattering off the proton

We present in detail a dispersion relation formalism for virtual Compton scattering (VCS) off the proton from threshold into the $\Delta(1232)$-resonance region. Such a formalism can be used as a tool to extract the generalized polarizabilities of the proton from both unpolarized and polarized VCS observables over a larger energy range. We present calculations for existing and forthcoming VCS experiments and demonstrate that the VCS observables in the energy region between pion production threshold and the $\Delta(1232)$-resonance show an enhanced sensitivity to the generalized polarizabilities.Comment: 51 pages, 15 figure

Sum rules for light-by-light scattering

We derive a set of sum rules for the light-by-light scattering and fusion: $\gamma\gamma \to all$, and verify them in lowest order QED calculations. A prominent implication of these sum rules is the superconvergence of the helicity-difference total cross-section for photon fusion, which in the hadron sector reveals an intricate cancellation between the pseudoscalar and tensor mesons. An experimental verification of superconvergence of the polarized photon fusion into hadrons is called for, but will only be possible at $e^+ e^-$ and $\gamma\gamma$ colliders with both beams polarized. We also show how the sum rules can be used to measure various contributions to the low-energy light-by-light scattering.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; minor corrections, published versio

Resonance estimates for single spin asymmetries in elastic electron-nucleon scattering

We discuss the target and beam normal spin asymmetries in elastic electron-nucleon scattering which depend on the imaginary part of two-photon exchange processes between electron and nucleon. We express this imaginary part as a phase space integral over the doubly virtual Compton scattering tensor on the nucleon. We use unitarity to model the doubly virtual Compton scattering tensor in the resonance region in terms of $\gamma^* N \to \pi N$ electroabsorption amplitudes. Taking those amplitudes from a phenomenological analysis of pion electroproduction observables, we present results for beam and target normal single spin asymmetries for elastic electron-nucleon scattering for beam energies below 1 GeV and in the 1-3 GeV region, where several experiments are performed or are in progress.Comment: 36 pages, 16 figure

Partonic calculation of the two-photon exchange contribution to elastic electron-proton scattering at large momentum transfer

We estimate the two-photon exchange contribution to elastic electron-proton scattering at large momentum transfer through the scattering off a parton in the proton. We relate the process on the nucleon to the generalized parton distributions which also enter in other wide angle scattering processes. We find that when taking the polarization transfer determinations of the form factors as input, adding in the 2 photon correction, does reproduce the Rosenbluth data.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure