A Non-Perturbative Chiral Approach for Meson-Meson Interactions

A non-perturbative method which combines constraints from chiral symmetry breaking and coupled channel unitarity is used to describe meson-meson interactions up to \sqrt{s}\lesssim 1.2 GeV, extending in this way the range of applicability of the information contained in Chiral Perturbation Theory (\chi PT), since this perturbative series is typically restricted to \sqrt{s}\lesssim 500 MeV. The approach uses the O(p^2) and O(p^4) \chiPT Lagrangians. The seven free parameters resulting from the O(p^4) Lagrangian are fitted to the experimental data. The approach makes use of the expansion of T^{-1} instead of the amplitude itself as done in \chiPT. The former expansion is suggested by analogy with the effective range approximation in Quantum Mechanics and it appears to be very useful. The results, in fact, are in good agreement with a vast amount of experimental analyses.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX, Talk given at PANIC99, Uppsala (Sweden), June 10-16, 199

Resonances, Chiral Symmetry, Coupled Channel Unitarity and Effective Lagrangians

By means of a coupled channel non-perturbative unitary approach, it is possible to extend the strong constrains of Chiral Perturbation Theory to higher energies. In particular, it is possible to reproduce the lowest lying resonances in meson-meson scattering up to 1.2 GeV using the parameters of the O(p^2) and O(p^4) Chiral Lagrangian. We report on an update of these results examining their possible relevance for meson spectroscopy.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Hadron Spectroscopy, HADROn 99, August 24-28, 1999, Beijing, China. Four pages, uses espcrc1.sty (included

The Inverse Amplitude Method and Heavy Baryon Chiral Perturbation Theory applied to pion-nucleon scattering

We report on our present work, where by means of the Inverse Amplitude Method we unitarize the elastic pion nucleon scattering amplitudes of Heavy Barion Chiral Perturbation Theory at O(q^3). We reproduce the scattering up to the inelastic thresholds including the Delta(1232) resonance. The fitted chiral constants are rather different from those obtained by fitting the extrapolated threshold parameters for the non-unitarized theory.Comment: Talk given at the 8th International Conference on Hadron Spectroscopy, HADRON99, August 24-28, 1999, Beijing, China. 4 pages LaTex, uses espcrc1.sty (included

Finite Temperature Pion Scattering to one-loop in Chiral Perturbation Theory

We present the pion-pion elastic scattering amplitude at finite temperature to one-loop in Chiral Perturbation Theory. The thermal scattering amplitude properly defined allows to generalize the perturbative unitarity relation to the $T\neq 0$ case. Our result provides a model independent prediction of an enhanced pion-pion low-energy phase shift with the temperature and it has physical applications within the context of Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures. Some references and clarifying comments added and new figures included. Final version to appear in Physics Letters

K -> 3 pi Final State Interactions at NLO in CHPT and Cabibbo's Proposal to Measure a_0-a_2

We present the analytical results for the K -> 3 pi final state interactions at next-to-leading order (NLO) in CHPT. We also study the recent Cabibbo's proposal to measure the pi-pi scattering lenghts combination a_0-a_2 from the cusp effect in the pi^0-pi^0 energy spectrum at threshold for K^+ -> pi^0 pi^0 pi^+ and K_L -> pi^0 pi^0 pi^0$, and give the relevant formulas to describe it at NLO. For that, we use the NLO CHPT expression to fit the real part of K -> 3 pi to data while the pi-pi scattering lenghts are treated non-perturbatively. Using them, we make a quantitative estimate of the theoretical uncertaintity of the a_0-a_2 determination at NLO in our approach and obtain that it is not smaller than 5 % if added quadratically and 7 % if linearly for K^+ -> pi^0 pi^0 pi^+. One gets similar theoretical uncertainties if the neutral K_L -> pi^0 pi^0 pi^0 decay data below threshold are used instead. For this decay, there are very large theoretical uncertainties above threshold due to cancellations and data above threshold cannot be used to get the scattering lenghts. All the numbers we present are in the isospin limit apart of two-pion phase space factors which are physical. We compare our results for the cusp effect with Cabibbo and Isidori's results and discuss the differences and agreements. We also comment on the apperance of the singularity at the K -> 3 pi pseudo-threshold s=(m_K-m_pi)^2 in the discontinuity that defines the cusp.Comment: 31 pages, 8 figures. v2=v3 Added the full contributions to the cusp from the real part of the discontinuity. v4 Improved text. Matches published versio

K^+ -> pi^+pi^0e^+e^-: a novel short-distance probe

We study the decay K^+ -> pi^+ pi^0 e^+ e^-, currently under analysis by the NA62 Collaboration at CERN. In particular, we provide a detailed analysis of the Dalitz plot for the long-distance, gamma^*-mediated, contributions (Bremsstrahlung, direct emission and its interference). We also examine a set of asymmetries to isolate genuine short-distance effects. While we show that charge asymmetries are not required to test short distances, they provide the best environment for its detection. This constitutes by itself a strong motivation for NA62 to study K^- decays in the future. We therefore provide a detailed study of different charge asymmetries and the corresponding estimated signals. Whenever possible, we make contact with the related processes K^+ -> pi^+ pi^0 gamma and K_L -> pi^+ pi^- e^+ e^- and discuss the advantages of K^+ -> pi^+ pi^0 e^+ e^- over them.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figure

Recent progress on the chiral unitary approach to meson meson and meson baryon interactions

We report on recent progress on the chiral unitary approach, analogous to the effective range expansion in Quantum Mechanics, which is shown to have a much larger convergence radius than ordinary chiral perturbation theory, allowing one to reproduce data for meson meson interaction up to 1.2 GeV. Applications to physical processes so far unsuited for a standard chiral perturbative approach are presented. Results for the extension of these ideas to the meson baryon sector are discussed, together with applications to kaons in a nuclear medium and $K^-$ atoms.Comment: Contribution to the KEK Tanashi Symposium on Physics of Hadrons and Nuclei, Tokyo, December 1998, 10 pages, 3 postscript figures. To be published as a special issue of Nuclear Physics

Couplings of light I=0 scalar mesons to simple operators in the complex plane

The flavour and glue structure of the light scalar mesons in QCD are probed by studying the couplings of the I=0 mesons $\sigma(600)$ and $f_0(980)$ to the operators $\bar{q}q$, $\alpha_s G^2$ and to two photons. The Roy dispersive representation for the $\pi\pi$ amplitude $t_0^0(s)$ is used to determine the pole positions as well as the residues in the complex plane. On the real axis, $t_0^0$ is constrained to solve the Roy equation together with elastic unitarity up to the K\Kbar threshold leading to an improved description of the $f_0(980)$. The problem of using a two-particle threshold as a matching point is discussed. A simple relation is established between the coupling of a scalar meson to an operator $j_S$ and the value of the related pion form-factor computed at the resonance pole. Pion scalar form-factors as well as two-photon partial-wave amplitudes are expressed as coupled-channel Omn\`es dispersive representations. Subtraction constants are constrained by chiral symmetry and experimental data. Comparison of our results for the $\bar{q}q$ couplings with earlier determinations of the analogous couplings of the lightest I=1 and $I=1/2$ scalar mesons are compatible with an assignment of the $\sigma$, $\kappa$, $a_0(980)$, $f_0(980)$ into a nonet. Concerning the gluonic operator $\alpha_s G^2$ we find a significant coupling to both the $\sigma$ and the $f_0(980)$.Comment: 31 pages, 5 figure

Radiative decays with light scalar mesons and singlet-octet mixing in ChPT

We study different types of radiative decays involving f0(980) and a0(980) mesons within a unified ChPT-based approach at one-loop level. Light scalar resonances which are seen in pi pi, pi eta, K K-bar channels of phi(1020) radiative decays and in J/psi decays are responsible for key questions of low-energy dynamics in the strong interaction sector, and decays phi(1020) -> gamma a0(980), phi(1020) -> gamma f0(980), a0(980) -> gamma gamma, f0(980) -> gamma gamma are of interest for current experimental programs in Juelich, Frascati and Novosibirsk. From theoretical point of view it is important to verify whether light scalar mesons are members of some flavor octet or nonet. We find a value of mixing angle dictated by consistency with experiment and coupling structures of ChPT Lagrangian. Decay widths f0(980)/a0(980) -> gamma rho(770)/omega(782), which are not studied experimentally yet, are predicted. We also obtain several relations between widths, which hold independently of coupling constants and represent a fingerprint of the model.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures; misprints in text and tables corrected, discussion extended, references added; version accepted for publication in Eur.Phys.J.

Effective chiral lagrangian in the chiral limit from the instanton vacuum

We study the effective chiral Lagrangian in the chiral limit from the instanton vacuum. Starting from the nonlocal effective chiral action, we derive the effective chiral Lagrangian, using the derivative expansion to order $O(p^4)$ in the chiral limit. The low energy constants, $L_1$, $L_2$, and $L_3$ are determined and compared with various models and the corresponding empirical data. The results are in a good agreement with the data. We also discuss about the upper limit of the sigma meson, based on the present results.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Phys.Rev.