pi N to Multi-pi N Scattering in the 1/N_c Expansion

We extend the 1/N_c meson-baryon scattering formalism to pi N to multi-pi N case. We first show that the leading-order large N_c processes proceed through resonant intermediate states (e.g., rho N or pi Delta). We find that the pole structure of baryon resonances can be uniquely identified by their (non)appearance in eta N or mixed partial-wave pi Delta final states.Comment: Invited talk at Exclusive Reactions at High Momentum Transfer workshop, JLAB, Newport News, VA, May 21-24, 2007, 4 pages, 3 figure

1/N_c Corrections in Meson-Baryon Scattering

Corrections to meson/ground-state baryon scattering amplitudes in the 1/N_c expansion of QCD have previously been shown to be controlled by the t-channel difference |I_t - J_t| of isospin and angular momentum and by the change of hypercharge Y_t. Here we derive the corresponding expressions in the original scattering s channel, allowing for nonzero meson spin and nontrivial SU(3) flavor quantum numbers, and provide explicit examples of the crossing relevant for pi N --> rho N and K N scattering.Comment: Addition of a physical example, minor changes to clarify certain issues and add one reference. 18 pages, no figure

Positive Parity Pentaquarks Pragmatically Predicted

We consider the possibility that the lightest pentaquark is a parity even state, with one unit of orbital angular momentum. Working within the framework of a constituent quark model, we show that dominant spin-flavor interactions render certain parity-even states lighter than any pentaquark with all quarks in the spatial ground state. For such states, we focus on predicting the mass and decays of other members of the same SU(3) flavor multiplet. Specifically, we consider the strangeness -2 cascade pentaquarks, which are relatively immune to mixing. We take into account flavor SU(3) breaking effects originating from the strange quark mass as well as from the structure of the spin-flavor exchange interactions themselves. We predict the lightest cascade pentaquarks at approximately 1906 MeV, with a full width about 3 times larger than that of the Theta^+.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure, 4 tables, Revtex

Unusual High-Energy Phenomenology of Lorentz-Invariant Noncommutative Field Theories

It has been suggested that one may construct a Lorentz-invariant noncommutative field theory by extending the coordinate algebra to additional, fictitious coordinates that transform nontrivially under the Lorentz group. Integration over these coordinates in the action produces a four-dimensional effective theory with Lorentz invariance intact. Previous applications of this approach, in particular to a specific construction of noncommutative QED, have been studied only in a low-momentum approximation. Here we discuss Lorentz-invariant field theories in which the relevant physics can be studied without requiring an expansion in the inverse scale of noncommutativity. Qualitatively, we find that tree-level scattering cross sections are dramatically suppressed as the center-of-mass energy exceeds the scale of noncommutativity, that cross sections that are isotropic in the commutative limit can develop a pronounced angular dependence, and that nonrelativistic potentials (for example, the Coloumb potential) become nonsingular at the origin. We consider a number of processes in noncommutative QED that may be studied at a future linear collider. We also give an example of scattering via a four-fermion operator in which the noncommutative modifications of the interaction can unitarize the tree-level amplitude, without requiring any other new physics in the ultraviolet.Comment: 24 pages LaTeX, 4 eps figures (v2: reference added, v3: minor clarifications

Pion Form Factors in Holographic QCD

Using a holographic dual model of QCD, we compute the pion electromagnetic form factor F_pi(Q^2) in the spacelike momentum transfer region, as well as pion couplings to vector mesons g_rho^(n) pi pi. Spontaneous and explicit chiral symmetry breaking are intrinsic features of this particular holographic model. We consider variants with both ``hard-wall'' and ``soft-wall'' infrared cutoffs, and find that the F_pi(Q^2) data tend to lie closer to the hard-wall model predictions, although both are too shallow for large Q^2. By allowing the parameters of the soft-wall model (originally fixed by observables such as m_rho) to vary, one finds fits that tend to agree better with F_pi(Q^2). We also compute the pion charge radius for a variety of parameter choices, and use the values of f^(n)_rho, g_{rho^(n) pi pi} and m^(n)_rho to observe the saturation of F_pi(0) by rho poles.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, revised fits using consistent normalization of f_pi. References update

pi N --> Multi-pi N Scattering in the 1/N_c Expansion

We extend the 1/N_c expansion meson-baryon scattering formalism to cases in which the final state contains more than two particles. We first show that the leading-order large N_c processes proceed through resonant intermediate states (e.g., rho N or pi Delta). We then tabulate linear amplitude expressions for relevant processes and find that the pole structure of baryon resonances can be uniquely identified by their (non)appearance in eta N or mixed partial-wave pi Delta final states. We also show that quantitative predictions of pi N to pi Delta branching ratios predicted at leading order alone do not agree with measurements, but the inclusion of 1/N_c corrections is ample to explain the discrepancies.Comment: 23 pages, 3 eps figures, ReVTeX4, added reference and discussion, identical to PRD versio

Bulk Majorons at Colliders

Lepton number violation may arise via the spontaneous breakdown of a global symmetry. In extra dimensions, spontaneous lepton number violation in the bulk implies the existence of a Goldstone boson, the majoron J^(0), as well as an accompanying tower of Kaluza-Klein (KK) excitations, J^(n). Even if the zero-mode majoron is very weakly interacting, so that detection in low-energy processes is difficult, the sum over the tower of KK modes may partially compensate in processes of relevance at high-energy colliders. Here we consider the inclusive differential and total cross sections for e^- e^- --> W^- W^- J, where J represents a sum over KK modes. We show that allowed parameter choices exist for which this process may be accessible to a TeV-scale electron collider.Comment: 11 pages LaTeX, 3 eps figures (references added