Spin in relativistic quantum theory

We discuss the role of spin in Poincar\'e invariant formulations of quantum mechanics.Comment: 54 page

Comparison of Relativistic Nucleon-Nucleon Interactions

We investigate the difference between those relativistic models based on interpreting a realistic nucleon-nucleon interaction as a perturbation of the square of a relativistic mass operator and those models that use the method of Kamada and Gl\"ockle to construct an equivalent interaction to add to the relativistic mass operator. Although both models reproduce the phase shifts and binding energy of the corresponding non-relativistic model, they are not scattering equivalent. The example of elastic electron-deuteron scattering in the one-photon-exchange approximation is used to study the sensitivity of three-body observables to these choices. Our conclusion is that the differences in the predictions of the two models can be understood in terms of the different ways in which the relativistic and non-relativistic $S$-matrices are related. We argue that the mass squared method is consistent with conventional procedures used to fit the Lorentz-invariant cross section as a function of the laboratory energy.Comment: Revtex 13 pages, 5 figures, corrected some typo

Vacuum Structures in Hamiltonian Light-Front Dynamics

Hamiltonian light-front dynamics of quantum fields may provide a useful approach to systematic non-perturbative approximations to quantum field theories. We investigate inequivalent Hilbert-space representations of the light-front field algebra in which the stability group of the light-front is implemented by unitary transformations. The Hilbert space representation of states is generated by the operator algebra from the vacuum state. There is a large class of vacuum states besides the Fock vacuum which meet all the invariance requirements. The light-front Hamiltonian must annihilate the vacuum and have a positive spectrum. We exhibit relations of the Hamiltonian to the nontrivial vacuum structure.Comment: 16 pages, report \# ANL-PHY-7524-TH-93, (Latex

Quantitative Relativistic Effects in the Three-Nucleon Problem

The quantitative impact of the requirement of relativistic invariance in the three-nucleon problem is examined within the framework of Poincar\'e invariant quantum mechanics. In the case of the bound state, and for a wide variety of model implementations and reasonable interactions, most of the quantitative effects come from kinematic factors that can easily be incorporated within a non-relativistic momentum-space three-body code.Comment: 15 pages, 15 figure

A light-front coupled cluster method

A new method for the nonperturbative solution of quantum field theories is described. The method adapts the exponential-operator technique of the standard many-body coupled-cluster method to the Fock-space eigenvalue problem for light-front Hamiltonians. This leads to an effective eigenvalue problem in the valence Fock sector and a set of nonlinear integral equations for the functions that define the exponential operator. The approach avoids at least some of the difficulties associated with the Fock-space truncation usually used.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure; to appear in the proceedings of LIGHTCONE 2011, 23-27 May 2011, Dalla

Wavelet Methods in the Relativistic Three-Body Problem

In this paper we discuss the use of wavelet bases to solve the relativistic three-body problem. Wavelet bases can be used to transform momentum-space scattering integral equations into an approximate system of linear equations with a sparse matrix. This has the potential to reduce the size of realistic three-body calculations with minimal loss of accuracy. The wavelet method leads to a clean, interaction independent treatment of the scattering singularities which does not require any subtractions.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, corrected referenc

Ground state correlations and mean-field in 16^{16}O: Part II

We continue the investigations of the $^{16}$O ground state using the coupled-cluster expansion [$\exp({\bf S})$] method with realistic nuclear interaction. In this stage of the project, we take into account the three nucleon interaction, and examine in some detail the definition of the internal Hamiltonian, thus trying to correct for the center-of-mass motion. We show that this may result in a better separation of the internal and center-of-mass degrees of freedom in the many-body nuclear wave function. The resulting ground state wave function is used to calculate the "theoretical" charge form factor and charge density. Using the "theoretical" charge density, we generate the charge form factor in the DWBA picture, which is then compared with the available experimental data. The longitudinal response function in inclusive electron scattering for $^{16}$O is also computed.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Vector mesons in a relativistic point-form approach

We apply the point form of relativistic quantum mechanics to develop a Poincare invariant coupled-channel formalism for two-particle systems interacting via one-particle exchange. This approach takes the exchange particle explicitly into account and leads to a generalized eigenvalue equation for the Bakamjian-Thomas type mass operator of the system. The coupling of the exchange particle is derived from quantum field theory. As an illustrative example we consider vector mesons within the chiral constituent quark model in which the hyperfine interaction between the confined quark-antiquark pair is generated by Goldstone-boson exchange. We study the effect of retardation in the Goldstone-boson exchange by comparing with the commonly used instantaneous approximation. As a nice physical feature we find that the problem of a too large $\rho$-$\omega$ splitting can nearly be avoided by taking the dynamics of the exchange meson explicitly into account.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figur

Gauge-invariant theory of pion photoproduction with dressed hadrons

Based on an effective field theory of hadrons in which quantum chromodynamics is assumed to provide the necessary bare cutoff functions, a gauge-invariant theory of pion photoproduction with fully dressed nucleons is developed. The formalism provides consistent dynamical descriptions of pi-N --> pi-N scattering and Gamma-N --> pi-N production mechanisms in terms of nonlinear integral equations for fully dressed hadrons. Defining electromagnetic currents via the gauging of hadronic n-point Green's functions, dynamically detailed currents for dressed nucleons are introduced. The dressed hadron currents and the pion photoproduction current are explicitly shown to satisfy gauge invariance in a self-consistent manner. Approximations are discussed that make the nonlinear formalism manageable in practice and yet preserve gauge invariance. This is achieved by recasting the gauge conditions for all contributing interaction currents as continuity equations with ``surface'' terms for the individual particle legs coming into or going out of the hadronic interaction region. General procedures are given that approximate any type of (global) interaction current in a gauge-invariance preserving manner as a sum of single-particle ``surface'' currents. It is argued that these prescriptions carry over to other reactions, irrespective of the number or type of contributing hadrons or hadronic systems.Comment: 33 pages, RevTeX; includes 8 postscript figures (requires psfig.sty). This version corrects some minor errors, etc.; contains updated references. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C56 (Oct. 97

First Order Relativistic Three-Body Scattering

Relativistic Faddeev equations for three-body scattering at arbitrary energies are formulated in momentum space and in first order in the two-body transition-operator directly solved in terms of momentum vectors without employing a partial wave decomposition. Relativistic invariance is incorporated within the framework of Poincare invariant quantum mechanics, and presented in some detail. Based on a Malfliet-Tjon type interaction, observables for elastic and break-up scattering are calculated up to projectile energies of 1 GeV. The influence of kinematic and dynamic relativistic effects on those observables is systematically studied. Approximations to the two-body interaction embedded in the three-particle space are compared to the exact treatment.Comment: 26 pages, 13 figure