High-precision covariant one-boson-exchange potentials for np scattering below 350 MeV

All realistic potential models for the two-nucleon interaction are to some extent based on boson exchange. However, in order to achieve an essentially perfect fit to the scattering data, characterized by a chi2/Ndata ~ 1, previous potentials have abandoned a pure one boson-exchange mechanism (OBE). Using a covariant theory, we have found a OBE potential that fits the 2006 world np data below 350 MeV with a chi2/Ndata = 1.06 for 3788 data. Our potential has fewer adjustable parameters than previous high-precision potentials, and also reproduces the experimental triton binding energy without introducing additional irreducible three-nucleon forces.Comment: 4 pages; revised version with augmented data sets; agrees with published versio

Two-pion exchange potential and the πN\pi N amplitude

We discuss the two-pion exchange potential which emerges from a box diagram with one nucleon (the spectator) restricted to its mass shell, and the other nucleon line replaced by a subtracted, covariant $\pi N$ scattering amplitude which includes $\Delta$, Roper, and $D_{13}$ isobars, as well as contact terms and off-shell (non-pole) dressed nucleon terms. The $\pi N$ amplitude satisfies chiral symmetry constraints and fits $\pi N$ data below $\sim$ 700 MeV pion energy. We find that this TPE potential can be well approximated by the exchange of an effective sigma and delta meson, with parameters close to the ones used in one-boson-exchange models that fit $NN$ data below the pion production threshold.Comment: 9 pages (RevTex) and 7 postscript figures, in one uuencoded gzipped tar fil

The stability of the spectator, Dirac, and Salpeter equations for mesons

Mesons are made of quark-antiquark pairs held together by the strong force. The one channel spectator, Dirac, and Salpeter equations can each be used to model this pairing. We look at cases where the relativistic kernel of these equations corresponds to a time-like vector exchange, a scalar exchange, or a linear combination of the two. Since the model used in this paper describes mesons which cannot decay physically, the equations must describe stable states. We find that this requirement is not always satisfied, and give a complete discussion of the conditions under which the various equations give unphysical, unstable solutions

Gauging the three-nucleon spectator equation

We derive relativistic three-dimensional integral equations describing the interaction of the three-nucleon system with an external electromagnetic field. Our equations are unitary, gauge invariant, and they conserve charge. This has been achieved by applying the recently introduced gauging of equations method to the three-nucleon spectator equations where spectator nucleons are always on mass shell. As a result, the external photon is attached to all possible places in the strong interaction model, so that current and charge conservation are implemented in the theoretically correct fashion. Explicit expressions are given for the three-nucleon bound state electromagnetic current, as well as the transition currents for the scattering processes \gamma He3 -> NNN, Nd -> \gamma Nd, and \gamma He3 -> Nd. As a result, a unified covariant three-dimensional description of the NNN-\gamma NNN system is achieved.Comment: 23 pages, REVTeX, epsf, 4 Postscript figure

Covariant equations for the three-body bound state

The covariant spectator (or Gross) equations for the bound state of three identical spin 1/2 particles, in which two of the three interacting particles are always on shell, are developed and reduced to a form suitable for numerical solution. The equations are first written in operator form and compared to the Bethe-Salpeter equation, then expanded into plane wave momentum states, and finally expanded into partial waves using the three-body helicity formalism first introduced by Wick. In order to solve the equations, the two-body scattering amplitudes must be boosted from the overall three-body rest frame to their individual two-body rest frames, and all effects which arise from these boosts, including the Wigner rotations and rho-spin decomposition of the off-shell particle, are treated exactly. In their final form, the equations reduce to a coupled set of Faddeev-like double integral equations with additional channels arising from the negative rho-spin states of the off-shell particle.Comment: 57 pages, RevTeX, 6 figures, uses epsf.st

Conference Discussion of the Nuclear Force

Discussion of the nuclear force, lead by a round table consisting of T. Cohen, E. Epelbaum, R. Machleidt, and F. Gross (chair). After an invited talk by Machleidt, published elsewhere in these proceedings, brief remarks are made by Epelbaum, Cohen, and Gross, followed by discussion from the floor moderated by the chair. The chair asked the round table and the participants to focus on the following issues: (i) What does each approach (chiral effective field theory, large Nc, and relativistic phenomenology) contribute to our knowledge of the nuclear force? Do we need them all? Is any one transcendent? (ii) How important for applications (few body, nuclear structure, EMC effect, for example) are precise fits to the NN data below 350 MeV? How precise do these fits have to be? (iii) Can we learn anything about nonperturbative QCD from these studies of the nuclear force? The discussion presented here is based on a video recording made at the conference and transcribed afterward.Comment: Discussion at the 21st European Conference on Few Body Problems (EFP21) held at Salamanca, Spain, 30 Aug - 3 Sept 201

Relativistic calculation of the triton binding energy and its implications

First results for the triton binding energy obtained from the relativistic spectator or Gross equation are reported. The Dirac structure of the nucleons is taken into account. Numerical results are presented for a family of realistic OBE models with off-shell scalar couplings. It is shown that these off-shell couplings improve both the fits to the two-body data and the predictions for the binding energy.Comment: 5 pages, RevTeX 3.0, 1 figure (uses epsfig.sty

Confinement and the analytic structure of the one body propagator in Scalar QED

We investigate the behavior of the one body propagator in SQED. The self energy is calculated using three different methods: i) the simple bubble summation, ii) the Dyson-Schwinger equation, and iii) the Feynman-Schwinger represantation. The Feynman-Schwinger representation allows an {\em exact} analytical result. It is shown that, while the exact result produces a real mass pole for all couplings, the bubble sum and the Dyson-Schwinger approach in rainbow approximation leads to complex mass poles beyond a certain critical coupling. The model exhibits confinement, yet the exact solution still has one body propagators with {\it real} mass poles.Comment: 5 pages 2 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.