Dispersive representation of the pion vector form factor in τ→ππντ\tau\to\pi\pi\nu_\tau decays

We propose a dispersive representation of the charged pion vector form factor that is consistent with chiral symmetry and fulfills the constraints imposed by analyticity and unitarity. Unknown parameters are fitted to the very precise data on $\tau^-\to\pi^-\pi^0\nu_\tau$ decays obtained by Belle, leading to a good description of the corresponding spectral function up to a $\pi\pi$ squared invariant mass $s\simeq 1.5$ GeV$^2$. We discuss the effect of isospin corrections, and obtain the values of low energy observables. For larger values of $s$, this representation is complemented with a phenomenological description to allow its implementation in the new TAUOLA hadronic currents.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures. Determination of rho(770) pole parameters substantially improved using a new method, based on rational approximants. Other results unchanged. Version to be published in EPJ

Electric polarizability of nuclei from a longitudinal sum rule

The nuclear electric polarizability is theoretically analyzed using a sum rule derived from the longitudinal part of the forward Compton amplitude. Beyond the leading dipole contribution, this approach leads to the presence of potential-dependent terms that do not show up in previous analyses. The significance of these new contributions is illustrated by performing an explicit calculation for a proton-neutron system interacting via a separable potential.Comment: 9 pages, revtex. Minor changes, two references added. To appear in Nucl. Phys.

Form factors of radiative pion decays in nonlocal chiral quark models

We study the radiative pion decay pi+ -> e+ nu_e gamma within nonlocal chiral quark models that include wave function renormalization. In this framework we analyze the momentum dependence of the vector form factor F_V(q^2), and the slope of the axial-vector form factor F_A(q^2) at threshold. Our results are compared with available experimental information and with the predictions given by the NJL model. In addition we calculate the low energy constants l_5 and l_6, comparing our results with the values obtained in chiral perturbation theory.Comment: 22 pages, 1 figure. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1011.640

Characteristics of the chiral phase transition in nonlocal quark models

The characteristics of the chiral phase transition are analyzed within the framework of chiral quark models with nonlocal interactions in the mean field approximation. In the chiral limit, we develop a semi-analytic framework which allows us to explicitly determine the phase transition curve, the position of the critical points, some relevant critical exponents, etc. For the case of finite current quark masses, we show the behavior of various thermodynamical and chiral response functions across the phase transition.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures. Figures 1 and 2 modified, references added, minor changes in the presentation and in the discussion of results. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Color neutrality effects in the phase diagram of the PNJL model

The phase diagram of a two-flavor Polyakov loop Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model is analyzed imposing the constraint of color charge neutrality. Main effects of this constraint are a shrinking of the chiral symmetry breaking (chiSB) domain in the T-mu plane, a shift of the critical point to lower temperatures and a coexistence of chiSB and two-flavor superconducting phases. The effects can be understood in view of the presence of a nonvanishing color chemical potential mu_8, which is necessary to compensate the color charge density rho_8 induced by the nonvanishing Polyakov-loop mean field phi_3.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, figures added, minor text modification

Hadron structure in tau -> KKpi nu_tau decays

We analyse the hadronization structure of both vector and axial-vector currents leading to tau -> KKpi nu_tau decays. At leading order in the 1/Nc expansion, and considering only the contribution of the lightest resonances, we work out, within the framework of the resonance chiral Lagrangian, the structure of the local vertices involved in those processes. The couplings in the resonance theory are constrained by imposing the asymptotic behaviour of vector and axial-vector spectral functions ruled by QCD. In this way we predict the hadron spectra and conclude that, contrarily to previous assertions, the vector contribution dominates by far over the axial-vector one in all KKpi charge channels.Comment: 32 pages, 7 figure