Aspects of Nucleon Compton Scattering

We consider the spin-averaged nucleon forward Compton scattering amplitude in heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory including all terms to order ${\cal O} (q^4)$. The chiral prediction for the spin-averaged forward Compton scattering amplitude is in good agreement with the data for photon energies $\omega \le 110$ MeV. We also evaluate the nucleon electric and magnetic Compton polarizabilities to this order and discuss the uncertainties of the various counter terms entering the chiral expansion of these quantities.Comment: 17 pp, TeX, 7 figures available from the authors, preprint CRN-93/5

Topics in Chiral Perturbation Theory

I consider some selected topics in chiral perturbation theory (CHPT). For the meson sector, emphasis is put on processes involving pions in the isospin zero S-wave which require multi-loop calculations. The advantages and shortcomings of heavy baryon CHPT are discussed. Some recent results on the structure of the baryons are also presented.Comment: 30 pp, TeX, Review talk, Third Workshop on High Energy Particle Physics (WHEPP III), Madras, India, January 1994. 7 figures available upon request. CRN--94/0

Threshold Photo/Electro Pion Production - Working Group Summary

We summarize the pertinent experimental and theoretical developments in the field of pion photo- and electroproduction in the threshold region. We discuss which experiments and which calculations should be done/performed in the future.Comment: plain TeX (macro included), 6pp, summary talk presented at the workshop on "Chiral Dynamics: Theory and Experiments", MIT, July 25-29, 199

The pion charge radius from charged pion electroproduction

We analyze a low-energy theorem of threshold pion electroproduction which allows one to determine the charge radius of the pion. We show that at the same order where the radius appears, pion loops induce a correction to the momentum dependence of the longitudinal dipole amplitude $L_{0+}^{(-)}$. This model-independent correction amounts to an increase of the pion charge radius squared from the electroproduction data by about 0.26~fm$^2$. It sheds light on the apparent discrepancy between the recent determination of the pion radius from electroproduction data and the one based on pion-electron scattering.Comment: 3 pp, REVTeX, uses eps

Momentum Dependent Vertices σγγ\sigma \gamma \gamma, σργ\sigma \rho \gamma and σρρ\sigma \rho \rho : The NJL Scalar Hidden by Chiral Symmetry

We calculate the momentum dependence of three particle vertices $\sigma \gamma \gamma$, $\sigma \rho \gamma$ and $\sigma \rho \rho$ in the context of a Nambu Jona Lasinio type model. We show how they influence the processes $\gamma \gamma \rightarrow \sigma \rightarrow \pi \pi$, $\rho \rightarrow \gamma \sigma$ and $\gamma \gamma \rightarrow \rho \rho$ and how chiral symmetry shadows the presence of the $\sigma$.Comment: 9 pages (latex), 5 figures available from the authors, preprint Coimbra 940506, IJS-TP-94/10, accepted for publication in Zeit. f. Physik

Tests of non-standard electroweak couplings of right-handed quarks

The standard model can be interpreted as the leading order of a Low-Energy Effective Theory (LEET) invariant under a higher non linearly realized symmetry $S_{nat}\supset SU(2)_W \times U(1)_Y$ equipped with a systematic power counting. Within the minimal version of this ``not quite decoupling'' LEET, the dominant non-standard effect appears at next-to-leading order (NLO) and is a modification of the couplings of fermions to W and Z. In particular, the coupling of right-handed quarks to Z is modified and a direct coupling of right-handed quarks to W emerges. Charged right-handed lepton currents are forbidden by an additional discrete symmetry in the lepton sector originally designed to suppress Dirac neutrino masses. A complete NLO analysis of experimental constraints on these modified couplings is presented. Concerning couplings of light quarks, the interface of the electroweak tests with QCD aspects is discussed in detail.Comment: 56 pages, 14 figures, v2: references added, minor modifications in the text, accepted for publication in JHE

Spin structure of the nucleon at low energies

The spin structure of the nucleon is analyzed in the framework of a Lorentz-invariant formulation of baryon chiral perturbation theory. The structure functions of doubly virtual Compton scattering are calculated to one-loop accuracy (fourth order in the chiral expansion). We discuss the generalization of the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum rule, the Burkhardt-Cottingham sum rule and moments of these. We give predictions for the forward and the longitudinal-transverse spin polarizabilities of the proton and the neutron at zero and finite photon virtuality. A detailed comparison to results obtained in heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory is also given.Comment: 29 pp, 14 fig

Unitarized pion-nucleon scattering within Heavy Baryon Chiral Perturbation Theory

By means of the Inverse Amplitude Method we unitarize the elastic pion-nucleon scattering amplitudes obtained from Heavy Baryon Chiral Perturbation Theory to O(q^3). Within this approach we can enlarge their applicability range and generate the Delta(1232) resonance. We can find a reasonable description of the pion nucleon phase shifts with (q^2) parameters in agreement with the resonance saturation hypothesis. However, the uncertainties in the analysis of the low energy data as well as the large number of chiral parameters, which can have strong correlations, allow us to obtain very good fits with rather different sets of chiral constants.Comment: Shortened version to appear in Phys. Rev. D. Brief Report

Is Heavy Baryon Approach Necessary?

It is demonstrated that using an appropriately chosen renormalization condition one can respect power counting within the relativistic baryon chiral perturbation theory without appealing to the technique of the heavy baryon approach. Explicit calculations are performed for diagrams including two-loops. It is argued that the introduction of the heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory was useful but not necessary.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, minor changes, references adde