Dispersion analysis of the nucleon form factors including meson continua

Dispersion relations provide a powerful tool to analyse the electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon for all momentum transfers. Constraints from meson-nucleon scattering data, unitarity, and perturbative QCD can be included in a straightforward way. In particular, we include the 2pi, rho-pi, and KKbar continua as independent input in our analysis and provide an error band for our results. Moreover, we discuss two different methods to include the asymptotic constraints from perturbative QCD. We simultaneously analyze the world data for all four form factors in both the space-like and time-like regions and generally find good agreement with the data. We also extract the nucleon radii and the omega-NN coupling constants. For the radii, we generally find good agreement with other determinations with the exception of the electric charge radius of the proton which comes out smaller. The omega-NN vector coupling constant is determined relatively well by the fits, but for the tensor coupling constant even the sign can not be determined.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figure

Multiplexed nanoplasmonic biosensor for one-step simultaneous detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in urine.

Development of rapid and multiplexed diagnostic tools is a top priority to address the current epidemic problem of sexually transmitted diseases. Here we introduce a novel nanoplasmonic biosensor for simultaneous detection of the two most common bacterial infections: Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Our plasmonic microarray is composed of gold nanohole sensor arrays that exhibit the extraordinary optical transmission (EOT), providing highly sensitive analysis in a label-free configuration. The integration in a microfluidic system and the precise immobilization of specific antibodies on the individual sensor arrays allow for selective detection and quantification of the bacteria in real-time. We achieved outstanding sensitivities for direct immunoassay of urine samples, with a limit of detection of 300 colony forming units (CFU)/mL for C. trachomatis and 1500CFU/mL for N. gonorrhoeae. The multiplexing capability of our biosensor was demonstrated by analyzing different urine samples spiked with either C. trachomatis or N. gonorrhoeae, and also containing both bacteria. We could successfully detect, identify and quantify the levels of the two bacteria in a one-step assay, without the need for DNA extraction or amplification techniques. This work opens up new possibilities for the implementation of point-of-care biosensors that enable fast, simple and efficient diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections

Peierls Instabilities in Quasi-One-Dimensional Quantum Double-Well Chains

Peierls-type instabilities in quarter-filled ($\bar{n}=1/2$) and half-filled ($\bar{n}=1$) quantum double-well hydrogen-bonded chain are investigated analytically in the framework of two-stage orientational-tunnelling model with additional inclusion of the interactions of protons with two different optical phonon branches. It is shown that when the energy of proton-phonon coupling becomes large, the system undergoes a transition to a various types of insulator states. The influence of two different transport amplitudes on ground states properties is studied. The results are compared with the pressure effect experimental investigations in superprotonic systems and hydrogen halides at low temperatures.Comment: 7 pages, RevTeX, 9 eps figure

Determination of two-photon exchange amplitudes from elastic electron-proton scattering data

Using the available cross section and polarization data for elastic electron-proton scattering, we provide an extraction of the two-photon exchange amplitudes at a common value of four-momentum transfer, around Q^2 = 2.5 GeV^2. This analysis also predicts the e^+ p / e^- p elastic scattering cross section ratio, which will be measured by forthcoming experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, updated error analysi

No Sommerfeld resummation factor in e+e- -> ppbar ?

The Sommerfeld rescattering formula is compared to the e+e- -> ppbar BaBar data at threshold and above. While there is the expected Coulomb enhancement at threshold, two unexpected outcomes have been found: |G^p (4M_p^2)|= 1, like for a pointlike fermion, and moreover data show that the resummation factor in the Sommerfeld formula is not needed. Other e+e- -> baryon-antibaryon cross sections show a similar behavior near threshold.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Primakoff effect in eta-photoproduction off protons

We analyse data on forward eta-meson photoproduction off a proton target and extract the eta to gamma gamma decay width utilizing the Primakoff effect. The hadronic amplitude that enters into our analysis is strongly constrained because it is fixed from a global fit to available gamma p to p eta data for differential cross sections and polarizations. We compare our results with present information on the two-photon eta-decay from the literature. We provide predictions for future PrimEx experiments at Jefferson Laboratory in order to motivate further studies.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, gamma-gamma*-eta form factor included, version to appear in Eur. Phys. J. A

Nucleon electromagnetic form factors

Elastic electromagnetic nucleon form factors have long provided vital information about the structure and composition of these most basic elements of nuclear physics. The form factors are a measurable and physical manifestation of the nature of the nucleons' constituents and the dynamics that binds them together. Accurate form factor data obtained in recent years using modern experimental facilities has spurred a significant reevaluation of the nucleon and pictures of its structure; e.g., the role of quark orbital angular momentum, the scale at which perturbative QCD effects should become evident, the strangeness content, and meson-cloud effects. We provide a succinct survey of the experimental studies and theoretical interpretation of nucleon electromagnetic form factors.Comment: Topical review invited by Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics; 34 pages (contents listed on page 34), 11 figure

Deuteron form factors in chiral effective theory: regulator-independent results and the role of two-pion exchange

We evaluate the deuteron charge, quadrupole, and magnetic form factors using wave functions obtained from chiral effective theory ($\chi$ET) when the potential includes one-pion exchange, chiral two-pion exchange, and genuine contact interactions. We study the manner in which the results for form factors behave as the regulator is removed from the $\chi$ET calculation, and compare co-ordinate- and momentum-space approaches. We show that, for both the LO and NNLO chiral potential, results obtained by imposing boundary conditions in co-ordinate space at $r=0$ are equivalent to the $\Lambda \to \infty$ limit of momentum-space calculations. The regulator-independent predictions for deuteron form factors that result from taking the $\Lambda \to \infty$ limit using the LO $\chi$ET potential are in reasonable agreement with data up to momentum transfers of order 600 MeV, provided that phenomenological information for nucleon structure is employed. In this range the use of the NNLO $\chi$ET potential results in only small changes to the LO predictions, and it improves the description of the zero of the charge form factor

A new measurement of the structure functions PLL−PTT/epsilonP_{LL}-P_{TT}/epsilon and PLTP_{LT} in virtual Compton scattering at Q2=Q^2= 0.33 (GeV/c)2^2

The cross section of the $ep \to e' p' \gamma$ reaction has been measured at $Q^2 = 0.33$ (GeV/c)$^2$. The experiment was performed using the electron beam of the MAMI accelerator and the standard detector setup of the A1 Collaboration. The cross section is analyzed using the low-energy theorem for virtual Compton scattering, yielding a new determination of the two structure functions P_LL}-P_{TT}/epsilon and $P_{LT}$ which are linear combinations of the generalized polarizabilities of the proton. We find somewhat larger values than in the previous investigation at the same $Q^2$. This difference, however, is purely due to our more refined analysis of the data. The results tend to confirm the non-trivial $Q^2$-evolution of the generalized polarizabilities and call for more measurements in the low-$Q^2$ region ($\le$ 1 (GeV/c)$^2$).Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures. EPJA version. slight revisions in the text and figure

Roy-Steiner equations for pion-nucleon scattering

Starting from hyperbolic dispersion relations, we derive a closed system of Roy-Steiner equations for pion-nucleon scattering that respects analyticity, unitarity, and crossing symmetry. We work out analytically all kernel functions and unitarity relations required for the lowest partial waves. In order to suppress the dependence on the high-energy regime we also consider once- and twice-subtracted versions of the equations, where we identify the subtraction constants with subthreshold parameters. Assuming Mandelstam analyticity we determine the maximal range of validity of these equations. As a first step towards the solution of the full system we cast the equations for the $\pi\pi\to\bar NN$ partial waves into the form of a Muskhelishvili-Omn\`es problem with finite matching point, which we solve numerically in the single-channel approximation. We investigate in detail the role of individual contributions to our solutions and discuss some consequences for the spectral functions of the nucleon electromagnetic form factors.Comment: 106 pages, 18 figures; version published in JHE