Gamma-Z box contributions to parity violating elastic e-p scattering

Parity-violating (PV) elastic electron-proton scattering measures Q-weak for the proton, $Q_W^p$. To extract $Q_W^p$ from data, all radiative corrections must be well-known. Recently, disagreement on the gamma-Z box contribution to $Q_W^p$ has prompted the need for further analysis of this term. Here, we support one choice of a debated factor, go beyond the previously assumed equality of electromagnetic and gamma-Z structure functions, and find an analytic result for one of the gamma-Z box integrals. Our numerical evaluation of the gamma-Z box is in agreement within errors with previous reports, albeit somewhat larger in central value, and is within the uncertainty requirements of current experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, v2: reference added, typo fixe

Dynamics of hadron strong production and decay

We generalize results of lattice QCD to determine the spin-dependent symmetries and factorization properties of meson production in OZI allowed processes. This explains some conjectures previously made in the literature about axial meson decays and gives predictions for exclusive decays of vector charmonia, including ways of establishing the structure of Y(4260) and Y(4325) from their S-wave decays. Factorization gives a selection rule which forbids $e^+e^- \to D^* D_2$ near threshold with the tensor meson in helicity 2. The relations among amplitudes for double charmonia production \e^+e^-\to \psi\chi_{0,1,2} are expected to differ from the analagous relations among light flavour production such as \e^+e^-\to \omega f_{0,1,2}.Comment: 13 pages; journal versio

Looking for a gift of Nature: Hadron loops and hybrid mixing

We investigate how coupling of valence q qbar to meson pairs can modify the properties of conventional q qbar and hybrid mesons. In a symmetry limit the mixing between hybrids and conventional q qbar with the same J^PC is shown to vanish. Flavor mixing between heavy and light q qbar due to meson loops is shown to be dual to the results of gluon mediated pQCD, and qualitatively different from mixing involving light flavors alone. The validity of the OZI rule for conventional q qbar and hybrid mesons is discussed.Comment: v2: added important references and discussion of previous literature; results and conclusions unchanged. 8 pages, 2 figure

Radiative decays: a new flavour filter

Radiative decays of the $1^3D_1$ orbital excitations of the $\rho$, $\omega$ and $\phi$ to the scalars $f_0(1370)$, $f_0(1500)$ and $f_0(1710)$ are shown to provide a flavour filter, clarifying the extent of glueball mixing in the scalar states. A complementary approach to the latter is provided by the radiative decays of the scalar mesons to the ground-state vectors $\rho$, $\omega$ and $\phi$. Discrimination among different mixing scenarios is strong.Comment: 12 pages, 1 table, 0 figure

QCD Tests of the Puzzling Scalar Mesons

Motivated by several recent data, we test the QCD spectral sum rules (QSSR) predictions based on different proposals (\bar qq, \bar q\bar q qq, and gluonium) for the nature of scalar mesons. In the I=1 and 1/2 channels, the unusual (wrong) splitting between the a_0(980) and \kappa(900) and the a_0(980) width can be understood from QSSR within a \bar qq assignement. However, none of the \bar qq and \bar q\bar q qq results can explain the large \kappa width, which may suggest that it can result from a strong interference with non-resonant backgrounds. In the I=0 channel, QSSR and some low-energy theorems (LET) require the existence of a low mass gluonium \sigma_B(1 GeV) coupled strongly to Goldstone boson pairs which plays in the U(1)_V channel, a similar role than the \eta' for the value of the U(1)_A topological charge. The observed \sigma(600) and f_0(980) mesons result from a maximal mixing between the gluonium \sigma_B and \bar qq(1 GeV) mesons, a mixing scheme which passes several experimental tests. OZI violating J/\psi--> \phi\pi^+\pi^-, D_s--> 3\pi decays and J/\psi--> \gamma S glueball filter processes may indicate that most of the I=0 mesons above 1 GeV have important gluonium in their wave functions. We expect that the f_0(1500), f_0(1710) and f_0(1790) have significant gluonium component in their wave functions, while the f_0(1370) is mostly \bar qq. Tests of these results can be provided by the measurements of the pure gluonium \eta'\eta and 4\pi specific U(1)_A decay channels.Comment: Version to appear in Phys. Rev. D (one previous figure corrupted

Heavy meson masses and decay constants from relativistic heavy quarks in full lattice QCD

We determine masses and decay constants of heavy-heavy and heavy-charm pseudoscalar mesons as a function of heavy quark mass using a fully relativistic formalism known as Highly Improved Staggered Quarks for the heavy quark. We are able to cover the region from the charm quark mass to the bottom quark mass using MILC ensembles with lattice spacing values from 0.15 fm down to 0.044 fm. We obtain f_{B_c} = 0.427(6) GeV; m_{B_c} = 6.285(10) GeV and f_{\eta_b} = 0.667(6) GeV. Our value for f_{\eta_b} is within a few percent of f_{\Upsilon} confirming that spin effects are surprisingly small for heavyonium decay constants. Our value for f_{B_c} is significantly lower than potential model values being used to estimate production rates at the LHC. We discuss the changing physical heavy-quark mass dependence of decay constants from heavy-heavy through heavy-charm to heavy-strange mesons. A comparison between the three different systems confirms that the B_c system behaves in some ways more like a heavy-light system than a heavy-heavy one. Finally we summarise current results on decay constants of gold-plated mesons.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figure

Effective chiral restoration in the rho'-meson in lattice QCD

In simulations with dynamical quarks it has been established that the ground state rho in the infrared is a strong mixture of the two chiral representations (0,1)+(1,0) and (1/2,1/2)_b. Its angular momentum content is approximately the 3S1 partial wave which is consistent with the quark model. Effective chiral restoration in an excited rho-meson would require that in the infrared this meson couples predominantly to one of the two representations. The variational method allows one to study the mixing of interpolators with different chiral transformation properties in the non-perturbatively determined excited state at different resolution scales. We present results for the first excited state of the rho-meson using simulations with n_f=2 dynamical quarks. We point out, that in the infrared a leading contribution to rho'= rho(1450) comes from (1/2,1/2)_b, in contrast to the rho. Its approximate chiral partner would be a h_1(1380) state. The rho' wave function contains a significant contribution of the 3D1 wave which is not consistent with the quark model prediction.Comment: 4 pp, a few short remarks have been added, a reference updated. To appear in PR

Quantum-field dynamics of expanding and contracting Bose-Einstein condensates

We analyze the dynamics of quantum statistics in a harmonically trapped Bose-Einstein condensate, whose two-body interaction strength is controlled via a Feshbach resonance. From an initially non-interacting coherent state, the quantum field undergoes Kerr squeezing, which can be qualitatively described with a single mode model. To render the effect experimentally accessible, we propose a homodyne scheme, based on two hyperfine components, which converts the quadrature squeezing into number squeezing. The scheme is numerically demonstrated using a two-component Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov formalism.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

The \rho\rho interaction in the hidden gauge formalism and the f_0(1370) and f_2(1270) resonances

We have studied the interaction of vectors mesons within the hidden gauge formalism and applied it to the particular case of the $\rho \rho$ interaction. We find a strong attraction in the isospin, spin channels I,S=0,0 and 0,2, which is enough to bind the $\rho \rho$ system. We also find that the attraction in the I,S=0,2 channel is much stronger than in the 0,0 case. The states develop a width when the $\rho$ mass distribution is considered, and particularly when the $\pi \pi$ decay channel is turned on. Using a regularization scheme with cut offs of natural size, we obtain results in fair agreement with the mass and the width of the $f_0(1370)$ and $f_2(1270)$ meson states, providing a natural explanation of why the tensor state is more bound than the scalar and offering a new picture for these states, which would be dynamically generated from the $\rho \rho$ interaction or, in simpler words, $\rho \rho$ molecular states.Comment: Version accepted for publicatio