arXiv · 2609.06624
Effective Field Theory of Protonium
Abstract
We investigate the level shifts in protonium using the framework of non-relativistic effective field theory (NREFT). Our study is prompted by the PUMA collaboration's plans to probe the neutron-to-proton ratio in the nuclear density tail using antiprotonic atoms -- a method for which light atoms provide an important benchmark. We calculate the corrections to the Deser-Goldberger-Baumann-Thirring formula for the complex level shift of S-wave states from the unitary cusp and Coulomb photon exchange. Structure dependent corrections enter at the next order. For higher-partial-wave states, they enter already at leading order. Using input from chiral NNbar interactions, we compare to other calculations and measurements from LEAR.
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Hans-Werner Hammer, Akaki Rusetsky. 2026-09-06. Effective Field Theory of Protonium. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.06624
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