Matter-induced hadronic processes

Two examples of ``exotic'' phenomena which become possible and important in the presence of nuclear matter are discussed: omega -> pi pi decay, and rho-omega mixing. Significance of these processes for the low-mass dilepton production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions is indicated.Comment: 8 pages, uses aipproc.cls, talk presented by W. Florkowski at the International Workshop on Hadron Physics "Effective Theories of Low Energy QCD", Coimbra, Portugal, September 10-15, 199

Role of current quark mass dependent multi-quark interactions in low lying meson mass spectra

We call attention to a class of current-quark mass dependent multi-quark interaction terms which break explicitly the chiral $SU(3)_L\times SU(3)_R$ and $U_A(1)$ symmetries. They complete the set of effective quark interactions that contribute at the same order in $N_c$ as the 't Hooft flavor determinant interaction and the eight quark interactions in the phase of spontaneously broken chiral symmetry. The $N_c$ classification scheme matches the counting rules based on arguments set by the scale of spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking. Together with the leading in $N_c$ four quark Nambu-Jona-Lasinio Lagrangian and current quark mass matrix, the model is apt to account for the correct empirical ordering and magnitude of the splitting of states in the low lying mass spectra of spin zero mesons. The new terms turn out to be essential for the ordering $m_K < m_\eta$ in the pseudoscalar sector and $m_{\kappa_0} < m_{a_0}\sim m_{f0}$ for the scalars.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, prepared for the proceedings of the workshop "Excited QCD 2013", 03-09 February 2013 in Bjelasnica Mountain, Sarajevo, Bosni

Sonoluminescence as Quantum Vaccum Radiation

We argue that the available experimental data is not compatible with models of sonoluminescence which invoke dynamical properties of the interface without regard to the compositional properties of the trapped gas inside the bubble.Comment: 2 pages,Revtex,No figures,Submitted to PRL(comments