arXiv subjects

A. W. Thomas

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

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

$Φ$-meson--nucleus bound states

$ϕ$-meson--nucleus bound state energies and absorption widths are calculated for seven selected nuclei by solving the Klein-Gordon equation with complex optical potentials. Essential input for the calculations, namely the medium-modified $K$ and $\overline{K}$ meson masses, as well as the density distributions in nuclei, are obtained from the quark-meson coupling model. The attractive potential for the $ϕ$-meson in the nuclear medium originates from the in-medium enhanced $K\overline{K}$ loop in the $ϕ$-meson self-energy. The results suggest that the $ϕ$-meson should form bound states with all the nuclei considered. However, the identification of the signal for these predicted bound states will need careful investigation because of their sizable absorption widths.

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arXiv2017

Lambda beta-decay in-medium

Under the working hypothesis that the structure of a bound hadron is modified by its interactions with other hadrons, one may expect to see changes in carefully chosen observables. In the light of a recent proposal to measure the axial charge in the strangeness changing beta-decay of a bound Lambda hyperon, we examine the size of the change expected within the quark-meson coupling model. It is predicted to be significant.

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arXiv2017

Baryon asymmetry generation in the E6CHM

In the E6 inspired composite Higgs model (E6CHM) the strongly interacting sector possesses an SU(6) global symmetry which is expected to be broken down to its SU(5) subgroup at the scale f > 10 TeV. This breakdown results in a set of pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone bosons (pNGBs) that includes one Standard Model (SM) singlet scalar, a SM-like Higgs doublet and an SU(3)_C triplet of scalar fields, T. In the E6CHM the Z^L_{2} symmetry, which is a discrete subgroup of the U(1)_L associated with lepton number conservation, can be used to forbid operators which lead to rapid proton decay. The remaining baryon number violating operators are sufficiently strongly suppressed because of the large value of the scale f. We argue that in this variant of the E6CHM a sizeable baryon number asymmetry can be induced if CP is violated. At the same time, the presence of the SU(3)_C scalar triplet with mass in the few TeV range may give rise to spectacular new physics signals that may be detected at the LHC in the near future.

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arXiv2017

Nuclear-bound quarkonia and heavy-flavor hadrons

In our quest to win a deeper understanding of how QCD actually works, the study of the binding of heavy quarkonia and heavy-flavor hadrons to atomic nuclei offers enormous promise. Modern experimental facilities such as FAIR, Jefferson Lab at 12 GeV and J-PARC offer exciting new experimental opportunities to study such systems. These experimental advances are complemented by new theoretical approaches and predictions, which will both guide these experimental efforts and be informed and improved by them. This review will outline the main theoretical approaches, beginning with QCD itself, summarize recent theoretical predictions and relate them both to past experiments and those from which we may expect results in the near future.

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arXiv2017

$ϕ$ meson mass and decay width in nuclear matter and nuclei

The mass and decay width of the $ϕ$ meson in cold nuclear matter are computed in an effective Lagrangian approach. The medium dependence of these properties are obtained by evaluating kaon-antikaon loop contributions to the $ϕ$ self-energy, employing the medium-modified kaon masses, calculated using the quark-meson coupling model. The loop integral is regularized with a dipole form factor, and the sensitivity of the results to the choice of cutoff mass in the form factor is investigated. At normal nuclear matter density we find a downward shift of the $ϕ$ mass by a few percent, while the decay width is enhanced by an order of magnitude. For a large variation of the cutoff mass parameter, the results for the $ϕ$ mass and the decay width turn out to vary very little. Our results support results in the literature which suggest that one should observe a small downward mass shift and a large broadening of the decay width. In order to explore the possibility of studying the binding and absorption of $ϕ$ mesons in nuclei, we also present the single-particle binding energies and half-widths of $ϕ$-nucleus bound states for some selected nuclei.

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arXiv2017

LHC signatures of neutral pseudo-Goldstone boson in the E6CHM

The breakdown of the SU(6) global symmetry to its SU(5) subgroup, that contains the standard model (SM) gauge group, in the E6 inspired composite Higgs model (E6CHM) results in a set of pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone bosons (pNGBs). This set, in particular, involves the SM-like Higgs doublet and a SM singlet boson. In the limit when CP is conserved the SM singlet scalar A is a CP-odd state that does not mix with the SM-like Higgs. The interactions of A with exotic matter beyond the SM, which ensures anomaly cancellation and approximate gauge coupling unification, can induce couplings of this pseudoscalar to the SM gauge bosons. We specify the interactions of the SM singlet pNGB state with the exotic vector-like fermions, top quark and SM gauge bosons. Also we explore the dependence of the branching ratios of the pseudoscalar A and its LHC production cross section on the parameters of the E6CHM.

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arXiv2017

Dark Energy Density in SUGRA models and degenerate vacua

In N=1 supergravity the tree-level scalar potential of the hidden sector may have a minimum with broken local supersymmetry (SUSY) as well as a supersymmetric Minkowski vacuum. These vacua can be degenerate, allowing for a consistent implementation of the multiple point principle. The first minimum where SUSY is broken can be identified with the physical phase in which we live. In the second supersymmetric phase, in flat Minkowski space, SUSY may be broken dynamically either in the observable or in the hidden sectors inducing a tiny vacuum energy density. We argue that the exact degeneracy of these phases may shed light on the smallness of the cosmological constant. Other possible phenomenological implications are also discussed. In particular, we point out that the presence of such degenerate vacua may lead to small values of the quartic Higgs coupling and its beta function at the Planck scale in the physical phase.

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arXiv2017

Isovector properties of the nuclear energy density functional from the quark-meson coupling model

Background: The Skyrme energy density functional is widely used in mean-field calculations of nuclear structure and dynamics. However, its reliance on phenomenology may compromise its isovector properties and its performance for exotic nuclear systems. Purpose: This work investigates the possibility of removing some phenomenology from the density functional by drawing on the high-energy degrees-of-freedom of the quark-meson coupling (QMC) model. The QMC model has microscopically derived isovector properties and far fewer adjustable parameters. Method: The parameters of the Skyrme interaction are fixed using the energy density functional of the QMC model, to give the Skyrme-QMC (SQMC) parameterisation. Results: Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculations of the Sn, Pb and $N=126$ chains are reported, in which SQMC performs with an accuracy comparable to modern phenomenological functionals. Conclusions: The isovector terms of the energy density functional are significant for the binding energies of neutron-rich nuclei. The isovector dependence of the nuclear spin-orbit interaction must be taken into account for calculations of r-process nucleosynthesis abundances.

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arXiv2017

Magnetic form factors of the octet baryons from lattice QCD and chiral extrapolation

We present a 2+1--flavor lattice QCD calculation of the electromagnetic Dirac and Pauli form factors of the octet baryons. The magnetic Sachs form factor is extrapolated at six fixed values of $Q^2$ to the physical pseudoscalar masses and infinite volume using a formulation based on heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory with finite-range regularization. We properly account for omitted disconnected quark contractions using a partially-quenched effective field theory formalism. The results compare well with the experimental form factors of the nucleon and the magnetic moments of the octet baryons.

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arXiv2017

Electric form factors of the octet baryons from lattice QCD and chiral extrapolation

We apply a formalism inspired by heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory with finite-range regularization to dynamical $2+1-$flavor CSSM/QCDSF/UKQCD Collaboration lattice QCD simulation results for the electric form factors of the octet baryons. The electric form factor of each octet baryon is extrapolated to the physical pseudoscalar masses, after finite-volume corrections have been applied, at six fixed values of $Q^2$ in the range 0.2-1.3 GeV$^2$. The extrapolated lattice results accurately reproduce the experimental form factors of the nucleon at the physical point, indicating that omitted disconnected quark loop contributions are small. Furthermore, using the results of a recent lattice study of the magnetic form factors, we determine the ratio $μ_p G^p_E/G^p_M$. This quantity decreases with $Q^2$ in a way qualitatively consistent with recent experimental results.

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arXiv2016

Dark matter candidates in the constrained Exceptional Supersymmetric Standard Model

The Exceptional Supersymmetric Standard Model (E$_6$SSM) is a low energy alternative to the MSSM with an extra $U(1)$ gauge symmetry and three generations of matter filling complete 27-plet representations of $E_6$. This provides both new D and F term contributions that raise the Higgs mass at tree level, and a compelling solution to the $μ$-problem of the MSSM by forbidding such a term with the extra $U(1)$ symmetry. Instead, an effective $μ$-term is generated from the VEV of an SM singlet which breaks the extra $U(1)$ symmetry at low energies, giving rise to a massive $Z^\prime$. We explore the phenomenology of the constrained version of this model (cE$_6$SSM) in substantially more detail than has been carried out previously, performing a ten dimensional scan that reveals a large volume of viable parameter space. We classify the different mechanisms for generating the measured relic density of dark matter found in the scan, including the identification of a new mechanism involving mixed bino/inert-Higgsino dark matter. We show which mechanisms can evade the latest direct detection limits from the LUX 2016 experiment. Finally we present benchmarks consistent with all the experimental constraints and which could be discovered with the XENON1T experiment.

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arXiv2016

Nucleon resonance structure in the finite volume of lattice QCD

An approach for relating the nucleon resonances extracted from $πN$ reaction data to lattice QCD calculations has been developed by using the finite-volume Hamiltonian method. Within models of $πN$ reactions, bare states are introduced to parametrize the intrinsic excitations of the nucleon. We show that the resonance pole positions can be related to the probability $P_{N^*}(E)$ of finding the bare state, $N^*$, in the $πN$ scattering states in infinite volume. We further demonstrate that the probability $P_{N^*}^V(E)$ of finding the same bare states in the eigenfunctions of the underlying Hamiltonian in finite volume approaches $P_{N^*}(E)$ as the volume increases. Our findings suggest that the comparison of $P_{N^*}(E)$ and $P_{N^*}^V(E)$ can be used to examine whether the nucleon resonances extracted from the $πN$ reaction data within the dynamical models are consistent with lattice QCD calculation. We also discuss the measurement of $P_{N^*}^V(E)$ directly from lattice QCD. The practical differences between our approach and the approach using the Lüscher formalism to relate LQCD calculations to the nucleon resonance poles embedded in the data are also discussed.

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arXiv2016

Constraints on $s-\bar s$ asymmetry of the proton in chiral effective theory

We compute the $s-\bar s$ asymmetry in the proton in chiral effective theory, using phenomenological constraints based upon existing data. Unlike previous meson cloud model calculations, which accounted for kaon loop contributions with on-shell intermediate states alone, this work includes off-shell terms and contact interactions, which impact the shape of the $s-\bar s$ difference. We identify a valence-like component of $s(x)$ which is balanced by a $δ$-function contribution to $\bar s(x)$ at $x=0$, so that the integrals of $s$ and $\bar s$ over the experimentally accessible region $x > 0$ are not equal. Using a regularization procedure that preserves chiral symmetry and Lorentz invariance, we find that existing data limit the integrated value of the second moment of the asymmetry to the range $-0.07 \times 10^{-3} \leq \langle x(s-\bar s) \rangle \leq 1.12 \times 10^{-3}$ at a scale of $Q^2=1 $GeV$^2$. This is too small to account for the NuTeV anomaly and of the wrong sign to enhance it.

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arXiv2016

Strange quark asymmetry in the proton in chiral effective theory

We perform a comprehensive analysis of the strange-antistrange parton distribution function (PDF) asymmetry in the proton in the framework of chiral effective theory, including the full set of lowest order kaon loop diagrams with off-shell and contact interactions, in addition to the usual on-shell contributions previously discussed in the literature. We identify the presence of $δ$-function contributions to the $\bar s$ PDF at $x=0$, with a corresponding valence-like component of the $s$-quark PDF at larger $x$, which allows greater flexibility for the shape of $s-\bar s$. Expanding the moments of the PDFs in terms of the pseudoscalar kaon mass, we compute the leading nonanalytic behavior of the number and momentum integrals of the $s$ and $\bar s$ distributions, consistent with the chiral symmetry of QCD. We discuss the implications of our results for the understanding of the NuTeV anomaly and for the phenomenology of strange quark PDFs in global QCD analysis.

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arXiv2016

Quark-Jet model for transverse momentum dependent fragmentation functions

In order to describe the hadronization of polarized quarks, we discuss an extension of the quark-jet model to transverse momentum dependent fragmentation functions. The description is based on a product ansatz, where each factor in the product represents one of the transverse momentum dependent splitting functions, which can be calculated by using effective quark theories. The resulting integral equations and sum rules are discussed in detail for the case of inclusive pion production. In particular, we demonstrate that the 3-dimensional momentum sum rules are satisfied naturally in this transverse momentum dependent quark-jet model. Our results are well suited for numerical calculations in effective quark theories, and can be implemented in Monte-Carlo simulations of polarized quark hadronization processes.

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arXiv2016

E6 inspired composite Higgs model and 750 GeV diphoton excess

In the E6 inspired composite Higgs model (E6CHM) the strongly interacting sector possesses an SU(6)\times U(1)_B\times U(1)_L global symmetry. Near scale f\gtrsim 10 TeV the SU(6) symmetry is broken down to its SU(5) subgroup, that involves the standard model (SM) gauge group. This breakdown of SU(6) leads to a set of pseudo--Nambu--Goldstone bosons (pNGBs) including a SM--like Higgs and a SM singlet pseudoscalar A. Because of the interactions between A and exotic fermions, which ensure the approximate unification of the SM gauge couplings and anomaly cancellation in this model, the couplings of the pseudoscalar A to gauge bosons get induced. As a result, the SM singlet pNGB state A with mass around 750 GeV may give rise to sufficiently large cross section of pp\to γγthat can be identified with the recently observed diphoton excess.

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arXiv2016

QCD and a New Paradigm for Nuclear Structure

We review the reasons why one might choose to seriously re-examine the traditional approach to nuclear theory where nucleons are treated as immutable. This examination leads us to argue that the modification of the structure of the nucleon when immersed in a nuclear medium is fundamental to how atomic nuclei are built. Consistent with this approach we suggest key experiments which should tell us unambiguously whether there is such a change in the structure of a bound nucleon. We also briefly report on extremely promising recent calculations of the structure of nuclei across the periodic table based upon this idea.

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arXiv2016

Quark-Meson Coupling model based upon the Nambu-Jona Lasinio model

The NJL model for the octet baryons, using proper time regularization to simulate some of the features of confinement, is solved self-consistently in nuclear matter. This provides an alternative framework to the MIT bag model which has been used in the quark-meson coupling model. After fitting the parameters of the model to the saturation properties of symmetric nuclear matter the model is used to explore the equation of state of pure neutron matter as well as nuclear matter at densities relevant to heavy ion collisions. With a view to future studies of high mass neutron stars, the binding of hyperons is also explored.

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