Exploratory spectrum calculations using overlap valence quarks on a staggered sea

We present exploratory results for the hadron mass spectrum and pseudoscalar meson decay constants using mixed actions. We use improved staggered sea quarks and HYP-smeared overlap valence quarks. We obtain good signals on 10 configurations at one lattice spacing and two different sets of sea quark masses.Comment: Lattice2004(spectrum), 3pages, 4 figure

Semi-leptonic decays of heavy mesons and the Isgur-Wise function in quenched lattice QCD

The form factors for the semi-leptonic B->D and B->D* decays are evaluated in quenched lattice QCD at two different values of the coupling, beta=6.0 and 6.2. The action and the operators are fully O(a) non-perturbatively improved. The slope of the Isgur-Wise function is evaluated, and found to be rho^2=0.83^{+15+24}_{-11-1} (quoted errors are statistical and systematic respectively). Ratios of form factors are evaluated and compared to experimental determinations.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figure

Heavy Quark Spin Symmetry and Heavy Baryons: Electroweak Decays

Heavy quark spin symmetry is discussed in the context of single and doubly heavy baryons. A special attention is paid to the constraints/simplifications that this symmetry imposes on the non-relativistic constituent quark model wave functions and on the b->c semileptonic decays of these hadrons.Comment: Presented at the 21st European Conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics, Salamanca, Spain, 30 August - 3 September 201

An Investigation of the Soft Pion Relation in Quenched Lattice QCD

A lattice determination of the form factor and decay constants for the semileptonic decay of heavy pseudoscalar (PS) mesons at zero recoil is presented from which the soft pion relation is satisfied. Chiral extrapolation of the form factor is performed at constant $q^2$. Pole dominance is used to extrapolate the form factor in heavy quark mass. At the B mass, the form factor at zero recoil lies somewhat below the ratio of decay constants; the relation remains satisfied within error.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure

Low-lying spectrum of the Y-string three-quark potential using hyper-spherical coordinates

We calculate the energies of three-quark states with definite permutation symmetry (i.e. of SU(6) multiplets) in the N=0,1,2 shells, confined by the Y-string three-quark potential. The exact Y-string potential consists of one, so-called three-string term, and three angle-dependent two-string terms. Due to this technical complication we treat the problem at three increasingly accurate levels of approximation: 1) the (approximate) three-string potential expanded to first order in trigonometric functions of hyper-spherical angles; 2) the (approximate) three-string potential to all orders in the power expansion in hyper-spherical harmonics, but without taking into account the transition(s) to two-string potentials; 3) the exact minimal-length string potential to all orders in power expansion in hyper-spherical harmonics, and taking into account the transition(s) to two-string potentials. We show the general trend of improvement %convergence of these approximations: The exact non-perturbative corrections to the total energy are of the order of one per cent, as compared with approximation 2), yet the exact energy differences between the $[20,1^{+}], [70,2^{+}], [56,2^{+}], [70,0^{+}]$-plets are shifted to 2:2:0.9, from the Bowler and Tynemouth separation rule 2:2:1, which is obeyed by approximation 2) at the one per cent level. The precise value of the energy separation of the first radial excitation ("Roper") $[56^{\prime},0^{+}]$-plet from the $[70,1^{-}]$-plet depends on the approximation, but does not become negative, i.e. the "Roper" remains heavier than the odd-parity $[70,1^{-}]$-plet in all of our approximations.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure

Lattice Study of the Decay B^0-bar -> rho^+ l^- nu_l-bar: Model-Independent Determination of |V_{ub}|

We present results of a lattice computation of the vector and axial-vector current matrix elements relevant for the semileptonic decay B^0-bar -> rho^+ l^- nu_l-bar. The computations are performed in the quenched approximation of lattice QCD on a 24^3 x 48 lattice at beta = 6.2, using an O(a) improved fermionic action. Our principal result is for the differential decay rate, dGamma/dq^2, for the decay B^0-bar -> rho^+ l^- nu_l-bar in a region beyond the charm threshold, allowing a model-independent extraction of |V_{ub}| from experimental measurements. Heavy quark symmetry relations between radiative and semileptonic decays of B-bar mesons into light vector mesons are also discussed.Comment: 22 pages LaTeX-209 (dependent on settings in a4.sty), 23 PostScript figures included with epsf.sty. Complete PostScript file including figures available at http://wwwhep.phys.soton.ac.uk/hepwww/papers/shep9518

Analysis of the Lambda_b -> Lambda_c + l nu_l decay within a light-front constituent quark model

We present an investigation of the Isgur-Wise form factor relevant for the semileptonic decay Lambda_b -> \Lambda_c + l nu_l performed within a light-front constituent quark model. Adopting different baryon wave functions it is found that the Isgur-Wise form factor depends sensitively on the baryon structure. It is shown however that the shape of the Isgur-Wise function in the full recoil range relevant for the Lambda_b -> \Lambda_c + l nu_l decay can be effectively constrained using recent lattice QCD results at low recoil. Then, the Lambda_b -> \Lambda_c + l nu_l decay is investigated including both radiative effects and first-order power corrections in the inverse heavy-quark mass. Our final predictions for the exclusive semileptonic branching ratio, the longitudinal and transverse asymmetries, and the longitudinal to transverse decay ratio are: Br(Lambda_b -> \Lambda_c + l nu_l) = (6.3 +/- 1.6) % |V_bc / 0.040|**2 ~ tau(Lambda_b) / (1.24 ps), a_L = -0.945 +/- 0.014, a_T = -0.62 +/- 0.09 and R_L/T = 1.57 +/- 0.15, respectively. Moreover, both the longitudinal asymmetry and the (partially integrated) longitudinal to transverse decay ratio are found to be only marginally affected by the model dependence of the Isgur-Wise form factor as well as by first-order power corrections; therefore, their experimental determination might be a very interesting tool for testing the SM and for investigating possible New Physics.Comment: revised version with inclusion of PQCD corrections and improved discussion of power corrections, to appear in Physical Review

Chiral Symmetry Breaking and Cooling in Lattice QCD

Chiral symmetry breaking is calculated as a function of cooling in quenched lattice QCD. A non-zero signal is found for the chiral condensate beyond one hundred cooling steps, suggesting that there is chiral symmetry breaking associated with instantons. Quantitatively, the chiral condensate in cooled gauge field configurations is small compared to the value without cooling.Comment: 11 pages in REVTEX including 4 PS figures embedded using psfig.sty, uuencode

Numerical study of O(a) improved Wilson quark action on anisotropic lattice

The $O(a)$ improved Wilson quark action on the anisotropic lattice is investigated. We carry out numerical simulations in the quenched approximation at three values of lattice spacing ($a_{\sigma}^{-1}=1$--2 GeV) with the anisotropy $\xi=a_{\sigma}/a_{\tau}=4$, where $a_{\sigma}$ and $a_{\tau}$ are the spatial and the temporal lattice spacings, respectively. The bare anisotropy $\gamma_F$ in the quark field action is numerically tuned by the dispersion relation of mesons so that the renormalized fermionic anisotropy coincides with that of gauge field. This calibration of bare anisotropy is performed to the level of 1 % statistical accuracy in the quark mass region below the charm quark mass. The systematic uncertainty in the calibration is estimated by comparing the results from different types of dispersion relations, which results in 3 % on our coarsest lattice and tends to vanish in the continuum limit. In the chiral limit, there is an additional systematic uncertainty of 1 % from the chiral extrapolation. Taking the central value $\gamma_F=\gamma_F^*$ from the result of the calibration, we compute the light hadron spectrum. Our hadron spectrum is consistent with the result by UKQCD Collaboration on the isotropic lattice. We also study the response of the hadron spectrum to the change of anisotropic parameter, $\gamma_F \to \gamma_F^* + \delta\gamma_F$. We find that the change of $\gamma_F$ by 2 % induces a change of 1 % in the spectrum for physical quark masses. Thus the systematic uncertainty on the anisotropic lattice, as well as the statistical one, is under control.Comment: 27 pages, 25 eps figures, LaTe

B-->pi and B-->K transitions in standard and quenched chiral perturbation theory

We study the effects of chiral logs on the heavy-->light pseudoscalar meson transition form factors by using standard and quenched chiral perturbation theory combined with the static heavy quark limit. The resulting expressions are used to indicate the size of uncertainties due to the use of the quenched approximation in the current lattice studies. They may also be used to assess the size of systematic uncertainties induced by missing chiral log terms in extrapolating toward the physical pion mass. We also provide the coefficient multiplying the quenched chiral log, which may be useful if the quenched lattice studies are performed with very light mesons.Comment: 33 pages, 8 PostScript figures, version to appear in PR