Final state interaction in the production of heavy unstable particles

We make an attempt to discuss in detail the effects originating from the final state interaction in the processes involving production of unstable elementary particles and their subsequent decay. Two complementary scenarios are considered: the single resonance production and the production of two resonances. We argue that part of the corrections due to the final state interaction can be connected with the Coulomb phases of the involved charge particles; the presence of the unstable particle in the problem makes the Coulomb phase ``visible''. It is shown how corrections due to the final state interaction disappear when one proceeds to the total cross-sections. We derive one-loop non-factorizable radiative corrections to the lowest order matrix element of both single and double resonance production. We discuss how the infrared limit of the theories with the unstable particles is modified. In conclusion we briefly discuss our results in the context of the forthcoming experiments on the $W^+W^-$ and the $t\bar t$ production at LEP $2$ and NLC.Comment: 33 pages, latex, 6 figures (added), version accepted for publication in Nuc. Phys. B, substantial revisio

QCD Radiative Correction to Zero Recoil Sum Rules for Heavy Flavor Transitions in the Small Velocity Limit.

We consider the small velocity sum rules for heavy flavour semileptonic transitions that are used to estimate the zero recoil values of semileptonic heavy flavour form factors. We analyze the complete O($\alpha _S$) radiative correction to these sum rules. The corrections are universal and influence all "model-independent" bounds previously derived for semileptonic form factors at zero recoil.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX, 3 figures

Bulk viscosity in superfluid neutron star cores. I. Direct Urca processes in npe\mu matter

The bulk viscosity of the neutron star matter due to the direct Urca processes involving nucleons, electrons and muons is studied taking into account possible superfluidity of nucleons in the neutron star cores. The cases of singlet-state pairing or triplet-state pairing (without and with nodes of the superfluid gap at the Fermi surface) of nucleons are considered. It is shown that the superfluidity may strongly reduce the bulk viscosity. The practical expressions for the superfluid reduction factors are obtained. For illustration, the bulk viscosity is calculated for two models of dense matter composed of neutrons, protons,electrons and muons. The presence of muons affects the bulk viscosity due to the direct Urca reactions involving electrons and produces additional comparable contribution due to the direct Urca reactions involving muons. The results can be useful for studying damping of vibrations of neutron stars with superfluid cores.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, latex, uses aa.cls, to be published in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Two -loop O(GFMH2)O(G_F{M_H}^2) radiative corrections to the Higgs decay width H→γγH \to \gamma \gamma for large Higgs boson masses

This note is devoted to the calculation of the two-loop $O(G_F {M_H}^2)$ radiative corrections to the Higgs decay width $H \to \gamma \gamma$ for large values of the Higgs boson mass $M_H$ within the Minimal Standard Model. The use of the Equivalence Theorem makes it possible to reduce the problem to the consideration of the physical Higgs boson field and the Goldstone bosons $w^{+},w^{-},z$. We present analytical results for the various two- and three-particle absorptive parts of two-loop contributions, using dispersive techniques, analytic results for all but one of the dispersive contributions. The typical size of the correction is $\sim ~30$ percent for a Higgs boson mass of order $1~TeV$.Comment: 21 pages, 7 uuencoded figure

Bulk viscosity in superfluid neutron star cores. III. Effects of Σ−\Sigma^- hyperons

Bulk viscosity of neutron star cores containing hyperons is studied taking into account non-equilibrium weak process $n+n \rightleftharpoons p+\Sigma^-$. Rapid growth of the bulk viscosity within the neutron star core associated with switching on new reactions (modified Urca process, direct Urca process, hyperon reactions) is analyzed. The suppression of the bulk viscosity by superfluidity of baryons is considered and found out to be very important.Comment: LaTeX, 9 pages, added reference, version accepted by Astron. Astrophy

Cooling neutron stars and superfluidity in their interiors

We study the heat capacity and neutrino emission reactions (direct and modified Urca processes, nucleon-nucleon bremsstrahlung, Cooper pairing of nucleons) in matter of supranuclear density of the neutron star cores with superfluid neutrons and protons. Various superfluidity types are analysed (singlet-state pairing and two types of triplet-state pairing, without and with nodes of the gap at a nucleon Fermi surface). The results are used for cooling simulations of isolated neutron stars. Both, the standard cooling and the cooling enhanced by the direct Urca process, are strongly affected by nucleon superfluidity. Comparison of cooling theory of isolated neutron stars with observations of their thermal radiation may give stringent constraints on the critical temperatures of the neutron and proton superfluidities in the neutron star cores.Comment: LaTeX, 85 pages, 23 figures, Physics - Uspekhi (accepted