Isospin violation in low-energy pion-nucleon scattering revisited

We calculate isospin breaking in pion-nucleon scattering in the threshold region in the framework of covariant baryon chiral perturbation theory. All effects due to quark mass differences as well as real and virtual photons are consistently included. As an application, we discuss the energy dependence of the triangle relation that connects elastic scattering on the proton pi+- p --> pi+- p with the charge exchange reaction pi- p --> pi0 n.Comment: 82 pages, 22 figures, version published in Nucl. Phys.

Generalized parton correlation functions for a spin-1/2 hadron

The fully unintegrated, off-diagonal quark-quark correlator for a spin-1/2 hadron is parameterized in terms of so-called generalized parton correlation functions. Such objects, in particular, can be considered as mother distributions of generalized parton distributions on the one hand and transverse momentum dependent parton distributions on the other. Therefore, our study provides new, model-independent insights into the recently proposed nontrivial relations between generalized and transverse momentum dependent parton distributions. We find that none of these relations can be promoted to a model-independent status. As a by-product we obtain the first complete classification of generalized parton distributions beyond leading twist. The present paper is a natural extension of our previous corresponding analysis for spin-0 hadrons.Comment: 41 pages, 3 figures; v2: added referenc

Improved dispersive analysis of the scalar form factor of the nucleon

We present a coupled system of integral equations for the pi pi --> Nbar N and Kbar K --> Nbar N S-waves derived from Roy-Steiner equations for pion-nucleon scattering. We discuss the solution of the corresponding two-channel Muskhelishvili-Omnes problem and apply the results to a dispersive analysis of the scalar form factor of the nucleon fully including Kbar K intermediate states. In particular, we determine the corrections Delta_sigma and Delta_D, which are needed for the extraction of the pion-nucleon sigma term from pi N scattering, and show that the difference Delta_D - Delta_sigma=(-1.8 +/- 0.2) MeV is insensitive to the input pi N parameters.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings for the 7th International Workshop on Chiral Dynamics, Newport News, Virginia, USA, August 6-10, 201

Bound state nature of the exotic Z_b states

The assumption that the newly observed charged bottomonia states Z_b(10610) and Z_b(10650) are of molecular nature is confronted with the measured invariant mass distributions for the transitions of the Upsilon(5S) to the final states h_b pi^+ pi^- and h_b(2P) pi^+ pi^-. It is shown that the assumption that the Z_b(10610) and Z_b(10650) are B\bar B^*+{\rm c.c.} and B^*\bar B^* bound states, respectively, with very small binding energies is consistent with the data. The calculation is based on a power counting for bottom meson loops, which is explicitly given up to two-loop in the framework of a nonrelativistic effective field theory. We also show that if the Z_b states are of molecular nature, then the data should not be analyzed by using a Breit-Wigner parametrization.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. Typos corrected, version appeared in Eur. Phys. J.

High-precision determination of the pion-nucleon σ\sigma-term from Roy-Steiner equations

We present a determination of the pion-nucleon ($\pi N$) $\sigma$-term $\sigma_{\pi N}$ based on the Cheng-Dashen low-energy theorem (LET), taking advantage of the recent high-precision data from pionic atoms to pin down the $\pi N$ scattering lengths as well as of constraints from analyticity, unitarity, and crossing symmetry in the form of Roy-Steiner equations to perform the extrapolation to the Cheng-Dashen point in a reliable manner. With isospin-violating corrections included both in the scattering lengths and the LET, we obtain $\sigma_{\pi N}=(59.1\pm 1.9\pm 3.0)$ MeV $=(59.1\pm 3.5)$ MeV, where the first error refers to uncertainties in the $\pi N$ amplitude and the second to the LET. Consequences for the scalar nucleon couplings relevant for the direct detection of dark matter are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure; title changed by journal, version to be published in PR

Extracting the sigma-term from low-energy pion-nucleon scattering

We present an extraction of the pion-nucleon ($\pi N$) scattering lengths from low-energy $\pi N$ scattering, by fitting a representation based on Roy-Steiner equations to the low-energy data base. We show that the resulting values confirm the scattering-length determination from pionic atoms, and discuss the stability of the fit results regarding electromagnetic corrections and experimental normalization uncertainties in detail. Our results provide further evidence for a large $\pi N$ $\sigma$-term, $\sigma_{\pi N}=58(5)$ MeV, in agreement with, albeit less precise than, the determination from pionic atoms.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures; journal versio

Matching pion-nucleon Roy-Steiner equations to chiral perturbation theory

We match the results for the subthreshold parameters of pion-nucleon scattering obtained from a solution of Roy-Steiner equations to chiral perturbation theory up to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order, to extract the pertinent low-energy constants including a comprehensive analysis of systematic uncertainties and correlations. We study the convergence of the chiral series by investigating the chiral expansion of threshold parameters up to the same order and discuss the role of the \Delta(1232) resonance in this context. Results for the low-energy constants are also presented in the counting scheme usually applied in chiral nuclear effective field theory, where they serve as crucial input to determine the long-range part of the nucleon-nucleon potential as well as three-nucleon forces.Comment: 6 pages, 4 tables; version to appear in PR

Extracting the sigma-term from low-energy pion-nucleon scattering

We present an extraction of the pion-nucleon ($\pi N$) scattering lengths from low-energy $\pi N$ scattering, by fitting a representation based on Roy-Steiner equations to the low-energy data base. We show that the resulting values confirm the scattering-length determination from pionic atoms, and discuss the stability of the fit results regarding electromagnetic corrections and experimental normalization uncertainties in detail. Our results provide further evidence for a large $\pi N$ $\sigma$-term, $\sigma_{\pi N}=58(5)$ MeV, in agreement with, albeit less precise than, the determination from pionic atoms.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures; journal versio

Reordering of Baryon Chiral Perturbation Theory

Reordering of the chiral perturbation series, proposed recently by Becher and Leutwyler in the framework of SU(2) baryonic ChPT, is applied to the SU(3) case. This results in improved convergence of the chiral expansion of static properties of the lowest lying baryon octet, which in most cases is quite impressive. Finite renormalization of coupling constants and the role it plays in the interpretation of effective field theories is discussed. Some future tests of the viability of the scheme are proposed too.Comment: 9 pages, one reference adde