A Search for Candidate Light Echoes: Photometry of Supernova Environments

Supernova (SN) light echoes could be a powerful tool for determining distances to galaxies geometrically, Sparks 1994. In this paper we present CCD photometry of the environments of 64 historical supernovae, the first results of a program designed to search for light echoes from these SNe. We commonly find patches of optical emission at, or close to, the sites of the supernovae. The color distribution of these patches is broad, and generally consistent with stellar population colors, possibly with some reddening. However there are in addition patches with both unusually red and unusually blue colors. We expect light echoes to be blue, and while none of the objects are quite as blue in V-R as the known light echo of SN1991T, there are features that are unusually blue and we identify these as candidate light echoes for follow-on observations.Comment: 13 pages, Latex, 5 Postscript Tables, 42 Postscript figures, accepted for publication in the A&AS. Figures 1 through 36 are available at the web address: http://www.stsci.edu/~boffi

Nucleon magnetic moments in an extended chiral constituent quark model

We present results for the nucleon magnetic moments in the context of an extended chiral constituent quark model based on the mechanism of the Goldstone boson exchange, as suggested by the spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry in QCD. The electromagnetic charge-current operator is consistently deduced from the model Hamiltonian, which includes all force components for the pseudoscalar, vector and scalar meson exchanges. Thus, the continuity equation is satisfied for each piece of the interaction, avoiding the introduction of any further parameter. A good agreement with experimental values is found. The role of isoscalar two-body operators, not constrained by the continuity equation, is also investigated.Comment: 7 pages, 1 table, submitted for publication to Phys. Lett. B, elsart.sty/elsart12.sty include

Electroweak properties of baryons in a covariant chiral quark model

The proton and neutron electromagnetic form factors and the nucleon axial form factor have been calculated in the Goldstone-boson exchange constituent-quark model within the point-form approach to relativistic quantum mechanics. The results, obtained without any adjustable parameter nor quark form factors, are, due to the dramatic effects of the boost required by the covariant treatment, in striking agreement with the data.Comment: Proceedings of the Conference N*2001, Mainz; 4 pages, 3 figures included in eps format; World Scientific style file include

Nucleon electromagnetic and axial form factors in point-form relativistic quantum mechanics

Results for the proton and neutron electric and magnetic form factors as well as the nucleon axial form factor are presented for constituent quark models, based on either one-gluon-exchange and Goldstone-boson-exchange dynamics. The calculations are performed in a covariant framework using the point-form approach to relativistic quantum mechanics. The only input to the calculations is the nucleon wave function of the corresponding constituent quark model. A comparison is given to results of the instanton-induced constituent quark model treated with the Bethe-Salpeter equation.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, contribution to XVIII European Conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics, September 2002, Bled, Sloveni

Covariant axial form factor of the nucleon in a chiral constituent quark model

The axial form factor G_A of the nucleon is investigated for the Goldstone-boson-exchange constituent quark model using the point-form approach to relativistic quantum mechanics. The results, being covariant, show large contributions from relativistic boost effects. The predictions are obtained directly from the quark-model wave functions, without any further input such as vertex or constituent-quark form factors, and fall remarkably close to the available experimental data.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure in .eps format, typeset with Elsevier elsart style files included. Revised version with a newly added section about discussion of results. To appear in Phys. Lett.

Covariant electroweak nucleon form factors in a chiral constituent quark model

Results for the proton and neutron electric and magnetic form factors as well asthe nucleon axial and induced pseudoscalar form factors are presented for the chiral constituent quark model based on Goldstone-boson-exchange dynamics. The calculations are performed in a covariant framework using the point-form approach to relativistic quantum mechanics. The direct predictions of the model yield a remarkably consistent picture of the electroweak nucleon structure.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures revte

Measuring longitudinal amplitudes for electroproduction of pseudoscalar mesons using recoil polarization in parallel kinematics

We propose a new method for measuring longitudinal amplitudes for electroproduction of pseudoscalar mesons that exploits a symmetry relation for polarization observables in parallel kinematics. This polarization technique does not require variation of electron scattering kinematics and avoids the major sources of systematic errors in Rosenbluth separation.Comment: intended for Phys. Rev. C as a Brief Repor

Electromagnetic nucleon form factors in instant and point form

We present a study of the electromagnetic structure of the nucleons with constituent quark models in the framework of relativistic quantum mechanics. In particular, we address the construction of spectator-model currents in the instant and point forms. Corresponding results for the elastic nucleon electromagnetic form factors as well as charge radii and magnetic moments are presented. We also compare results obtained by different realistic nucleon wave functions stemming from alternative constituent quark models. Finally, we discuss the theoretical uncertainties that reside in the construction of spectator-model transition operators.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, updated and extended version for publicatio