Nucleon Form Factors in Point-Form Spectator-Model Constructions

We discuss electromagnetic currents in the point-form formulation of relativistic quantum mechanics. The construction is along a spectator model and implies that only one quark is explicitly coupled to the photon, but nevertheless many-body contributions are present in the current operator. Such effects are unavoidable in relativistic constructions and resulting ambiguities are notably reduced by imposing charge normalization and time-reversal invariance. The residual theoretical indetermination introduces small but sizeable changes in the nucleon form-factors, particularly at higher Q-squared values, with the data generally centered in the middle of the theoretical band.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, prepared for XI Convegno su Problemi di Fisica Nucleare Teorica, Cortona 2006, 11-14 October 200

Covariant calculation of mesonic baryon decays

We present covariant predictions for pi and eta decay modes of N and Delta resonances from relativistic constituent-quark models based on one-gluon-exchange and Goldstone-boson-exchange dynamics. The results are calculated within the point-form approach to Poincare-invariant relativistic quantum mechanics applying a spectator-model decay operator. The direct predictions of the constituent-quark models for covariant pi and eta decay widths show a behaviour completely different from previous ones calculated in nonrelativistic or so-called semirelativistic approaches. It is found that the present theoretical results agree with experiment only in a few cases but otherwise always remain smaller than the experimental data (as compiled by the Particle Data Group). Possible reasons for this behaviour are discussed with regard to the quality of both the quark-model wave functions and the mesonic decay operator.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Strong Decays of N and Delta Resonances in the Point-Form Formalism

We present covariant predictions of relativistic constituent quark models for pi and eta decay widths of N and Delta resonances. The results are calculated for a model decay operator within the point-form spectator approximation. It is found that most theoretical values underestimate the experimental data considerably.Comment: 4 pages; Proceedings for N*2004, Grenoble, March 24-27 (2004

Meson Dynamics and the resulting "3-Nucleon-Force" diagrams: Results from a simplified test case

A simplified 1D (one-dimensional) model for a generalized 3N system is considered, as a testing ground for the explicit treatment of the meson dynamics in this system. We focus attention on the irreducible diagrams generated by the pion dynamics in the 3N system, and in particular to a new type of three-nucleon force discussed recently in the literature, and generated by the one-pion-exchange mechanism in presence of a nucleon-nucleon correlation. It is found that these new terms in the simplified model have an approximately 30% effect compared to the standard three-nucleon force terms in a `Triton' binding energy calculation. It is suggested that this effect should also not be ignored in realistic calculations.Comment: 4 pages, Contribution to "Mesons and Light Nuclei 2001", Prague 2-6, 200

Covariant calculation of strange decays of baryon resonances

We present results for kaon decay widths of baryon resonances from a relativistic study with constituent quark models. The calculations are done in the point-form of Poincare-invariant quantum mechanics with a spectator-model decay operator. We obtain covariant predictions of the Goldstone-boson-exchange and a variant of the one-gluon-exchange constituent quark models for all kaon decay widths of established baryon resonances. They are generally characterized by underestimating the available experimental data. In particular, the widths of kaon decays with increasing strangeness in the baryon turn out to be extremely small. We also consider the nonrelativistic limit, leading to the familiar elementary emission model, and demonstrate the importance of relativistic effects. It is found that the nonrelativistic approach evidently misses sensible influences from Lorentz boosts and some essential spin-coupling terms.Comment: 6 pages, 3 table