The impact factor for the virtual photon to light vector meson transition

We evaluate in the next-to-leading approximation the forward impact factor for the virtual photon to light vector meson transition in the case of longitudinal polarization. We find that in the hard kinematic domain, both in the leading and in the next-to-leading approximation, the expression for the impact factor factorizes, up to power suppressed corrections, into the convolution of a perturbatively calculable hard-scattering amplitude and a meson twist-2 distribution amplitude.Comment: 31 pages latex; few comments and one reference added; version to appear in Eur. Phys. Journal

Analysis of corrections to the eikonal approximation

Various corrections to the eikonal approximations are studied for two- and three-body nuclear collisions with the goal to extend the range of validity of this approximation to beam energies of 10 MeV/nucleon. Wallace's correction does not improve much the elastic-scattering cross sections obtained at the usual eikonal approximation. On the contrary, a semiclassical approximation that substitutes the impact parameter by a complex distance of closest approach computed with the projectile-target optical potential efficiently corrects the eikonal approximation. This opens the possibility to analyze data measured down to 10 MeV/nucleon within eikonal-like reaction models.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure

The Quark Impact Factors

We calculate in the next-to-leading approximation the non-forward quark impact factors for both singlet and octet color representation in the $t$-channel. The integral representation of the octet impact factor in the general case of arbitrary space-time dimension and massive quark flavors is used to check the so-called "second bootstrap condition" for the gluon Reggeization at the next-to-leading logarithmic approximation in perturbative QCD. We find that it is satisfied for both helicity conserving and non-conserving parts. The integrations are then performed for the explicit calculation of the impact factors in the massless quark case.Comment: 23 pages, LaTeX, 1 EPS figure, uses epsf.sty and axodraw.st

Photoassociation spectra and the validity of the dipole approximation for weakly bound dimers

Photoassociation (PA) of ultracold metastable helium to the 2s2p manifold is theoretically investigated using a non-perturbative close-coupled treatment in which the laser coupling is evaluated without assuming the dipole approximation. The results are compared with our previous study [Cocks and Whittingham, Phys. Rev. A 80, 023417 (2009)] that makes use of the dipole approximation. The approximation is found to strongly affect the PA spectra because the photoassociated levels are weakly bound, and a similar impact is predicted to occur in other systems of a weakly bound nature. The inclusion or not of the approximation does not affect the resonance positions or widths, however significant differences are observed in the background of the spectra and the maximum laser intensity at which resonances are discernable. Couplings not satisfying the dipole selection rule |J-1| <= J' <= |J+1| do not lead to observable resonances.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures; Minor textual revision

Parameter approximations for quantile regressions with measurement error

The impact of covariate measurement error on quantile regression functions is investigated using a small variance approximation. The approximation shows how the error contaminated and error free quantile regression functions are related, a key factor being the distribution of the error free covariate. Exact calculations probe the accuracy of the approximation. The order of the approxiamtion error is unchanged if the error free covariate density is replaced by the error contaminated density. It is then possible to use the approximation to investigate the sensitivity of estimates to varying amounts of measurement error.

Beyond the Adiabatic Approximation: the impact of thresholds on the hadronic spectrum

In the adiabatic approximation, most of the effects of quark-antiquark loops on spectroscopy can be absorbed into a static interquark potential. I develop a formalism which can be used to treat the residual nonadiabatic effects associated with the presence of nearby hadronic thresholds for heavy quarks. I then define a potential which includes additional high energy corrections to the adiabatic limit which would be present for finite quark masses. This "improved" potential allows a systematic low energy expansion of the impact of thresholds on hadronic spectra.Comment: 16 pages, a more rapidly converging "improved potential" is define