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A. W. Thomas

Publications and source records attributed to A. W. Thomas.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

Simple Quark Model with Chiral Phenomenology

We propose a new approach to the determination of hadronic observables in which the essential features of chiral symmetry are combined with conventional constituent quark models. To illustrate the approach, we consider the simple quark model in the limit of SU(3) flavour symmetry at the strange quark mass. The comparison with data is made after an analytic continuation which ensures the correct leading nonanalytic behaviour of chiral perturbation theory. The approach not only gives an excellent fit for the octet baryon magnetic moments but the prediction for the $Δ^{++}$ magnetic moment is also in good agreement with current measurements.

hep-ph↗

Quark-hadron duality and the nuclear EMC effect

Recent data on polarized proton knockout reactions off He-4 nuclei suggest a small but nonzero modification of proton electromagnetic form factors in medium. Using model independent relations derived on the basis of quark-hadron duality, we relate the medium modification of the form factors to the modification at large x of the deep-inelastic structure function of a bound proton. This places strong constraints on models of the nuclear EMC effect which assume a large deformation of the intrinsic structure of the nucleon in medium.

nucl-th↗

Bethe-Salpeter equation and a nonperturbative quark-gluon vertex

A Ward-Takahashi identity preserving Bethe-Salpeter kernel can always be calculated explicitly from a dressed-quark-gluon vertex whose diagrammatic content is enumerable. We illustrate that fact using a vertex obtained via the complete resummation of dressed-gluon ladders. While this vertex is planar, the vertex-consistent kernel is nonplanar and that is true for any dressed vertex. In an exemplifying model the rainbow-ladder truncation of the gap and Bethe-Salpeter equations yields many results; e.g., pi- and rho-meson masses, that are changed little by including higher-order corrections. Repulsion generated by nonplanar diagrams in the vertex-consistent Bethe-Salpeter kernel for quark-quark scattering is sufficient to guarantee that diquark bound states do not exist.

nucl-th↗

Chiral Properties of Quenched and Full QCD

We extend a technique for the chiral extrapolation of hadron masses calculated with dynamical fermions to those generated by quenched simulations. The method ensures the correct leading and next-to-leading non-analytic behaviour for either QCD or quenched QCD in the chiral limit, as well as the correct large quark mass behaviour. We find that the primary difference between quenched and dynamical baryon masses can be described by the meson loops which give rise to the different leading and next-to-leading non-analytic behaviour.

hep-lat↗

Determination of the pion-nucleon coupling constant and scattering lengths

We critically evaluate the isovector GMO sum rule for forward pion-nucleon scattering using the recent precision measurements of negatively charged pion-proton and pion-deuteron scattering lengths from pionic atoms. We deduce the charged-pion-nucleon coupling constant, with careful attention to systematic and statistical uncertainties. This determination gives, directly from data a pseudoscalar coupling constant of 14.11+-0.05(statistical)+-0.19(systematic) or a pseudovector one of 0.0783(11). This value is intermediate between that of indirect methods and the direct determination from backward neutron-proton differential scattering cross sections. We also use the pionic atom data to deduce the coherent symmetric and antisymmetric sums of the negatively charged pion-proton and pion-neutron scattering lengths with high precision. The symmetric sum gives 0.0012+-0.0002(statistical)+-0.0008 (systematic) and the antisymmetric one 0.0895+-0.0003(statistical)+-0.0013(systematic), both in units of inverse charged pion-mass. For the need of the present analysis, we improve the theoretical description of the pion-deuteron scattering length.

hep-ph↗

Nucleon mass and pion loops

Poincare' covariant Faddeev equations for the nucleon and Delta are solved to illustrate that an internally consistent description in terms of confined-quark and nonpointlike confined-diquark-correlations can be obtained. pi N-loop induced self-energy corrections to the nucleon's mass are analysed and shown to be independent of whether a pseudoscalar or pseudovector coupling is used. Phenomenological constraints suggest that this self-energy correction reduces the nucleon's mass by up to several hundred MeV. That effect does not qualitatively alter the picture, suggested by the Faddeev equation, that baryons are quark-diquark composites. However, neglecting the pi-loops leads to a quantitative overestimate of the nucleon's axial-vector diquark component.

nucl-th↗

Connecting structure functions on the lattice with phenomenology

We examine the extraction of moments of parton distributions from lattice data, focusing in particular on the chiral extrapolation as a function of the quark mass. Inclusion of the correct chiral behavior of the spin-averaged isovector distribution resolves a long-standing discrepancy between the lattice moments and experiment. We extract the x-dependence of the valence u-d distribution from the lowest few lattice moments, and discuss the implications for the quark mass dependence of meson masses lying on the rho Regge trajectory. The role of chiral symmetry in spin-dependent distributions, and in particular the lattice axial vector charge, g_A, is also highlighted.

hep-ph↗

Chiral extrapolation of lattice data for the hyperfine splittings of heavy mesons

Hyperfine splittings between the heavy vector (D*, B*) and pseudoscalar (D, B) mesons have been calculated numerically in lattice QCD, where the pion mass (which is related to the light quark mass) is much larger than its physical value. Naive linear chiral extrapolations of the lattice data to the physical mass of the pion lead to hyperfine splittings which are smaller than experimental data. In order to extrapolate these lattice data to the physical mass of the pion more reasonably, we apply the effective chiral perturbation theory for heavy mesons, which is invariant under chiral symmetry when the light quark masses go to zero and heavy quark symmetry when the heavy quark masses go to infinity. This leads to a phenomenological functional form with three parameters to extrapolate the lattice data. It is found that the extrapolated hyperfine splittings are even smaller than those obtained using linear extrapolation. We conclude that the source of the discrepancy between lattice data for hyperfine splittings and experiment must lie in non-chiral physics.

hep-ph↗

Medium modification of the nucleon axial form factor

We study the modification of the nucleon axial form factor in nuclear matter. The internal quark substructure of the nucleon is self-consistently described by the quark meson coupling model. We find that the axial form factor of the bound nucleon is quenched considerably from that of the free nucleon. The axial vector coupling constant is reduced by roughly 10% at normal nuclear matter density and the axial form factor varies within 8% for moderate momentum transfer.

nucl-th↗

Hadron Mass Extraction from Lattice QCD

The extraction of quantities from lattice QCD calculations at realistic quark masses is of considerable importance. Whilst physical quark masses are some way off, the recent advances in the calculation of hadron masses within full QCD now invite improved extrapolation methods. We show that, provided the correct chiral behaviour of QCD is respected in the extrapolation to realistic quark masses, one can indeed obtain a fairly reliable determination of masses, the sigma commutator and the J parameter. We summarise these findings by presenting the nonanalytic behaviour of nucleon and rho masses in the standard Edinburgh plot.

hep-lat↗

Structure Functions of Unstable Lithium Isotopes

We study both the spin-average and spin-dependent structure functions of the lithium isotopes, $^{6-11}$Li, which could be measured at RIKEN and other nuclear facilities in the future. It is found that the light-cone momentum distribution of the valence neutron in the halo of $^{11}$Li is very sharp and symmetric around y = 1, because of the weak binding. The EMC ratios for Li isotopes are then calculated. We study the possibility of extracting the neutron structure function from data for the nuclear structure functions of the Li isotopes. Next we calculate the spin-dependent structure functions of $^{7,9,11}$Li isotopes, which have spin of 3/2. The effect of the nuclear binding and Fermi motion on the multipole spin structure function, $^{3/2}_{~1}g_1$, is about 10% in the region x < 0.7, but it becomes quite important at large x. The spin structure function of $^{3/2}_{~3}g_1$ is also investigated. Finally, we discuss the modification of the Gottfried and Bjorken integrals in a nuclear medium and point out several candidates for a pair of mirror nuclei to study the flavor-nonsinglet quark distributions in nuclei.

nucl-th↗

Parton distributions from lattice QCD

We extract the x dependence of the nonsinglet u-d distribution function in the nucleon from the lowest few moments calculated on the lattice, using an extrapolation formula which ensures the correct behavior in the chiral and heavy quark limits. We discuss the implications for the quark mass dependence of meson masses lying on the J(PC)=1(--) Regge trajectory.

hep-lat↗

Complete analysis of spin structure function g1 of He-3

We present a comprehensive analysis of the nuclear effects important in DIS on polarized He-3 over a wide range of Bjorken x, 10^{-4} \leq x \leq 0.8. Effects relevant for the extraction of the neutron spin structure function, g1^n, from the He-3 data are emphasized.

hep-ph↗

Chiral extrapolation of lattice moments of proton quark distributions

We present the resolution of a long-standing discrepancy between the moments of parton distributions calculated from lattice QCD and their experimental values. We propose a simple extrapolation formula for the moments of the nonsinglet quark distribution u-d, as a function of quark mass, which embodies the general constraints imposed by the chiral symmetry of QCD. The inclusion of the leading nonanalytic behavior leads to an excellent description of both the lattice data and the experimental values of the moments.

hep-lat↗

Distortions in the negative energy Dirac sea: violation of the Gottfried sum rule and $Δ\bar{u}$ in proton

We report on recent work concerning the effect which the change in vacuum structure (negative energy Dirac sea), in the presence of a confining scalar field, has on the nucleon structure functions and parton distributions. Using the Dirac equation in 1+1 dimensions, we show that distortions in the Dirac sea are responsible for part of the violation of the Gottfried sum rule -- i.e., part of the flavor asymmetry in the proton sea. Our basic argument is that, even if isospin is an exact symmetry, the presence of a confining potential changes the vacuum structure, and inevitably leads to a violation of SU(2) flavour symmetry in a hadron with a different number of valence $u$ and $d$ quarks. The same mechanism also leads to a prediction for $Δ\bar{u}$ and $Δ\bar{d}$.

hep-ph↗

Heavy quark distribution functions in heavy baryons

Using the Bethe-Salpeter (B-S) equations for heavy baryons Lambda_Q, Sigma_Q, Xi_Q and Omega_Q (Q=b or c), which were established in previous work, we calculate the heavy quark distribution functions in these baryons. The numerical results indicate that these distribution functions have an obvious peak at some fraction, alpha_0, of the baryon's light-cone ``plus'' momentum component carried by the heavy quark, and that as m_Q becomes heavier this peak becomes sharper and closer to 1. The dependence of the distribution functions on various input parameters in the B-S model is also discussed. The results are seen to be qualitatively similar to an existing phenomenological model.

hep-ph↗

Chiral Behaviour of the Rho Meson in Lattice QCD

In order to guide the extrapolation of the mass of the rho meson calculated in lattice QCD with dynamical fermions, we study the contributions to its self-energy which vary most rapidly as the quark mass approaches zero; from the processes $ρ\to ωπ$ and $ρ\to ππ$. It turns out that in analysing the most recent data from CP-PACS it is crucial to estimate the self-energy from $ρ\to ππ$ using the same grid of discrete momenta as included implicitly in the lattice simulation. The correction associated with the continuum, infinite volume limit can then be found by calculating the corresponding integrals exactly. Our error analysis suggests that a factor of 10 improvement in statistics at the lowest quark mass for which data currently exists would allow one to determine the physical rho mass to within 5%. Finally, our analysis throws new light on a long-standing problem with the J-parameter.

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