arXiv subjects

Antonio Vairo

Publications and source records attributed to Antonio Vairo.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2024

One Born$-$Oppenheimer Effective Theory to rule them all: hybrids, tetraquarks, pentaquarks, doubly heavy baryons and quarkonium

The discovery of XYZ exotic states in the hadronic sector with two heavy quarks, represents a significant challenge in particle theory. Understanding and predicting their nature remains an open problem. In this work, we demonstrate how the Born$-$Oppenheimer (BO) effective field theory (BOEFT), derived from Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) on the basis of scale separation and symmetries, can address XYZ exotics of any composition. We derive the Schrödinger coupled equations that describe hybrids, tetraquarks, pentaquarks, doubly heavy baryons, and quarkonia at leading order, incorporating nonadiabatic terms, and present the predicted multiples. We define the static potentials in terms of the QCD static energies for all relevant cases. We provide the precise form of the nonperturbative low-energy gauge-invariant correlators required for the BOEFT: static energies, generalized Wilson loops, gluelumps, and adjoint mesons. These are to be calculated on the lattice and we calculate here their short-distance behavior. Furthermore, we outline how spin-dependent corrections and mixing terms can be incorporated using matching computations. Lastly, we discuss how static energies with the same BO quantum numbers mix at large distances leading to the phenomenon of avoided level crossing. This effect is crucial to understand the emergence of exotics with molecular characteristics, such as the $χ_{c1}(3872)$. With BOEFT both the tetraquark and the molecular picture appear as part of the same description.

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arXiv2024

Static force from generalized Wilson loops on the lattice using the gradient flow

The static QCD force from the lattice can be used to extract $Λ_{\overline{\textrm{MS}}}$, which determines the running of the strong coupling. Usually, this is done with a numerical derivative of the static potential. However, this introduces additional systematic uncertainties; thus, we use another observable to measure the static force directly. This observable consists of a Wilson loop with a chromoelectric field insertion. We work in the pure SU(3) gauge theory. We use gradient flow to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and to address the field insertion. We extract $Λ_{\overline{\textrm{MS}}}^{n_f=0}$ from the data by exploring different methods to perform the zero-flow-time limit. We obtain the value $\sqrt{8t_0} Λ_{\overline{\textrm{MS}}}^{n_f=0} =0.629^{+22}_{-26}$, where $t_0$ is a flow-time reference scale. We also obtain precise determinations of several scales: $r_0/r_1$, $\sqrt{8 t_0}/r_0$, $\sqrt{8 t_0}/r_1$ and we compare these to the literature. The gradient flow appears to be a promising method for calculations of Wilson loops with chromoelectric and chromomagnetic insertions in quenched and unquenched configurations

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arXiv2024

Effective field theories for dark matter pairs in the early universe: center-of-mass recoil effects

For non-relativistic thermal dark matter, close-to-threshold effects largely dominate the evolution of the number density for most of the times after thermal freeze-out, and hence affect the cosmological relic density. A precise evaluation of the relevant interaction rates in a thermal medium representing the early universe includes accounting for the relative motion of the dark matter particles and the thermal medium. We consider a model of dark fermions interacting with a plasma of dark gauge bosons, which is equivalent to thermal QED. The temperature is taken to be smaller than the dark fermion mass and the inverse of the typical size of the dark fermion-antifermion bound states, which allows for the use of non-relativistic effective field theories. For the annihilation cross section, bound-state formation cross section, bound-state dissociation width and bound-state transition width of dark matter fermion-antifermion pairs, we compute the leading recoil effects in the reference frame of both the plasma and the center-of-mass of the fermion-antifermion pair. We explicitly verify the Lorentz transformations among these quantities. We evaluate the impact of the recoil corrections on the dark matter energy density. Our results can be directly applied to account for the relative motion of quarkonia in the quark-gluon plasma formed in heavy-ion collisions. They may be also used to precisely assess thermal effects in atomic clocks based on atomic transitions; the present work provides a first field theory derivation of time dilation for these processes in vacuum and in a medium.

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arXiv2024

Bottomonium suppression from the three-loop QCD potential

We compute the suppression of bottomonium in the quark-gluon plasma using the three-loop QCD static potential. The potential describes the spin-averaged bottomonium spectrum below threshold with a less than 1% error. Within potential nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics and an open quantum systems framework, we compute the evolution of the bottomonium density matrix. The values of the quarkonium transport coefficients are obtained from lattice QCD measurements of the bottomonium in-medium width and thermal mass shift; we additionally include for the first time a vacuum contribution to the dispersive coefficient $γ$. Using the three-loop potential and the values of the heavy quarkonium transport coefficients, we find that the resulting bottomonium nuclear modification factor is consistent with experimental observations, while at the same time reproducing the lattice measurements of the in-medium width.

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arXiv2024

Center-of-mass recoil effects on the annihilation and formation of dark matter bound pairs

For a quantitative investigation on the time evolution of heavy thermal dark matter at and after thermal freeze-out, near-threshold processes need to be taken into account which have a large impact on the observed dark matter relic abundance. In this conference paper, we study the recoil effect of heavy dark matter pairs in a thermal bath and compute the annihilation cross section and the decay width as well as the bound-state formation cross section of dark matter fermion-antifermion pairs in the laboratory frame within the framework of potential non-relativistic effective field theories at finite temperature. For the considered hierarchy of energy scales, we highlight the effect of the recoil corrections to the thermal rates.

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arXiv2024

Effective field theories for dark matter pairs in the early universe: cross sections and widths

In order to predict the cosmological abundance of dark matter, an estimation of particle rates in an expanding thermal environment is needed. For thermal dark matter, the non-relativistic regime sets the stage for the freeze-out of the dark matter energy density. We compute transition widths and annihilation, bound-state formation, and dissociation cross sections of dark matter fermion pairs in the unifying framework of non-relativistic effective field theories at finite temperature, with the thermal bath modeling the thermodynamical behaviour of the early universe. We reproduce and extend some known results for the paradigmatic case of a dark fermion species coupled to dark gauge bosons. The effective field theory framework allows to highlight their range of validity and consistency, and to identify some possible improvements.

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arXiv2023

Regeneration of bottomonia in an open quantum systems approach

We demonstrate the importance of quantum jumps in the nonequilibrium evolution of bottomonium states in the quark-gluon plasma. Based on nonrelativistic effective field theory and the open quantum system framework, we evolve the density matrix of color singlet and octet pairs. We show that quantum regeneration of singlet states from octet configurations is necessary to understand experimental results for the suppression of both bottomonium ground and excited states. The values of the heavy-quarkonium transport coefficients used are consistent with recent lattice QCD determinations.

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arXiv2023

Effective Field Theories for Dark Matter Pairs in the Early Universe

In this conference paper, we consider effective field theories of non-relativistic dark matter particles interacting with a light force mediator in the early expanding universe. We present a general framework, where to account in a systematic way for the relevant processes that may affect the dynamics during thermal freeze-out. In the temperature regime where near-threshold effects, most notably the formation of bound states and Sommerfeld enhancement, have a large impact on the dark matter relic density, we scrutinize possible contributions from higher excited states and radiative corrections in the annihilations and decays of dark-matter pairs.

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arXiv2023

Static Energy in ($2+1+1$)-Flavor Lattice QCD: Scale Setting and Charm Effects

We present results for the static energy in ($2+1+1$)-flavor QCD over a wide range of lattice spacings and several quark masses, including the physical quark mass, with ensembles of lattice-gauge-field configurations made available by the MILC Collaboration. We obtain results for the static energy out to distances of nearly $1$~fm, allowing us to perform a simultaneous determination of the scales $r_{1}$ and $r_{0}$, as well as the string tension $σ$. For the smallest three lattice spacings we also determine the scale $r_{2}$. Our results for $r_{0}/r_{1}$ and $r_{0}\sqrtσ$ agree with published ($2+1$)-flavor results. However, our result for $r_{1}/r_{2}$ differs significantly from the value obtained in the ($2+1$)-flavor case, which is most likely due to the effect of the charm quark. We also report results for $r_{0}$, $r_{1}$, and $r_{2}$ in~fm, with the former two being slightly lower than published ($2+1$)-flavor results. We study in detail the effect of the charm quark on the static energy by comparing our results on the finest two lattices with the previously published ($2+1$)-flavor QCD results at similar lattice spacing. We find that for $r > 0.2$~fm our results on the static energy agree with the ($2+1$)-flavor result, implying the decoupling of the charm quark for these distances. For smaller distances, on the other hand, we find that the effect of the dynamical charm quark is noticeable. The lattice results agree well with the two-loop perturbative expression of the static energy incorporating finite charm mass effects. This is the first time that the decoupling of the charm quark is observed and quantitatively analyzed on lattice data of the static energy.

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arXiv2023

Inclusive production of $J/ψ$, $ψ(2S)$, and $Υ$ states in pNRQCD

Under some assumptions on the hierarchy of relevant energy scales, we compute the nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD) long-distance matrix elements (LDMEs) for inclusive production of $J/ψ$, $ψ(2S)$, and $Υ$ states based on the potential NRQCD (pNRQCD) effective field theory. Based on the pNRQCD formalism, we obtain expressions for the LDMEs in terms of the quarkonium wavefunctions at the origin and universal gluonic correlators, which do not depend on the heavy quark flavor or the radial excitation. This greatly reduces the number of nonperturbative unknowns and substantially enhances the predictive power of the nonrelativistic effective field theory formalism. We obtain improved determinations of the LDMEs for $J/ψ$, $ψ(2S)$, and $Υ$ states thanks to the universality of the gluonic correlators, and obtain phenomenological results for cross sections and polarizations at large transverse momentum that agree well with measurements at the LHC.

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arXiv2023

The three-quark static potential in perturbation theory

We study the three-quark static potential in perturbation theory in QCD. A complete next-to-leading order calculation is performed in the singlet, octets and decuplet channels and the potential exponentiation is demonstrated. The mixing of the octet representations is calculated. At next-to-next-to-leading order, the subset of diagrams producing three-body forces is identified in Coulomb gauge and its contribution to the potential calculated. Combining it with the contribution of the two-body forces, which may be extracted from the quark-antiquark static potential, we obtain the complete next-to-next-to-leading order three-quark static potential in the colour-singlet channel.

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arXiv2022

50 Years of Quantum Chromodynamics

This paper presents a comprehensive review of both the theory and experimental successes of Quantum Chromodynamics, starting with its emergence as a well defined theory in 1972-73 and following developments and results up to the present day. Topics include a review of the earliest theoretical and experimental foundations; the fundamental constants of QCD; an introductory discussion of lattice QCD, the only known method for obtaining exact predictions from QCD; methods for approximating QCD, with special focus on effective field theories; QCD under extreme conditions; measurements and predictions of meson and baryon states; a special discussion of the structure of the nucleon; techniques for study of QCD at high energy, including treatment of jets and showers; measurements at colliders; weak decays and quark mixing; and a section on the future, which discusses new experimental facilities or upgrades currently funded. The paper is intended to provide a broad background for Ph.D. students and postdocs starting their career. Some contributions include personal accounts of how the ideas or experiments were developed.

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arXiv2022

Implications of gradient flow on the static force

We use gradient flow to compute the static force based on a Wilson loop with a chromoelectric field insertion. The result can be compared on one hand to the static force from the numerical derivative of the lattice static energy, and on the other hand to the perturbative calculation, allowing a precise extraction of the $Λ_0$ parameter. This study may open the way to gradient flow calculations of correlators of chromoelectric and chromomagnetic fields, which typically arise in the nonrelativistic effective field theory factorization.

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arXiv2022

Heavy hybrid decays to quarkonia

The decay rates of the XYZ exotics discovered in the heavy quarkonium sector are crucial observables for identifying the nature of these states. Based on the framework of nonrelativistic effective field theories, we calculate the rates of semi-inclusive decays of heavy quarkonium hybrids into conventional heavy quarkonia. We compute them at leading and subleading power in the inverse of the heavy-quark mass, extending and updating previous results. We compare our predictions with experimental data of inclusive decay rates for candidates of heavy quarkonium hybrids.

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arXiv2022

Charm mass effects in the static energy computed in 2+1+1 flavor lattice QCD

We report our analysis for the static energy in (2+1+1)-flavor QCD over a wide range of lattice spacings and several quark masses. We obtain results for the static energy out to distances of nearly 1 fm, allowing us to perform a simultaneous determination of the lattice scales $r_2$, $r_1$ and $r_0$ as well as the string tension, $σ$. While our results for ${r_0}/{r_1}$ and $r_0$ $\sqrtσ$ agree with published (2+1)-flavor results, our result for ${r_1}/{r_2}$ differs significantly from the value obtained in the (2+1)-flavor case, likely due to the effect of the charm quark. We study in detail the effect of the charm quark on the static energy by comparing our results on the finest lattices with the previously published (2+1)-flavor QCD results at similar lattice spacing. The lattice results agree well with the two-loop perturbative expression of the static energy incorporating finite charm mass effects.

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arXiv2022

Production and polarization of $S$-wave quarkonia in potential nonrelativistic QCD

Based on the potential nonrelativistic QCD formalism, we compute the nonrelativistic QCD long-distance matrix elements (LDMEs) for inclusive production of $S$-wave heavy quarkonia. This greatly reduces the number of nonperturbative unknowns and brings in a substantial enhancement in the predictive power of the nonrelativistic QCD factorization formalism. We obtain improved determinations of the LDMEs and find cross sections and polarizations of $J/ψ$, $ψ(2S)$, and excited $Υ$ states that agree well with LHC data. Our results may have important implications in pinning down the heavy quarkonium production mechanism.

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arXiv2022

Lattice gauge theory computation of the static force

We explore a novel approach to compute the force between a static quark and a static antiquark with lattice gauge theory directly. The approach is based on expectation values of Wilson loops or Polyakov loops with chromoelectric field insertions. We discuss theoretical and technical aspects in detail, in particular, how to compensate large discretization errors with a multiplicative renormalization factor and the evaluation using a multilevel algorithm. We also compare numerical results for the static force to corresponding results obtained in the traditional way, i.e., by computing first the static potential and then taking the derivative.

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arXiv2022

QCD Static Force in Gradient Flow

We compute the QCD static force and potential using gradient flow at next-to-leading order in the strong coupling. The static force is the spatial derivative of the static potential: it encodes the QCD interaction at both short and long distances. While on the one side the static force has the advantage of being free of the $O(Λ_{\rm QCD})$ renormalon affecting the static potential when computed in perturbation theory, on the other side its direct lattice QCD computation suffers from poor convergence. The convergence can be improved by using gradient flow, where the gauge fields in the operator definition of a given quantity are replaced by flowed fields at flow time $t$, which effectively smear the gauge fields over a distance of order $\sqrt{t}$, while they reduce to the QCD fields in the limit $t \to 0$. Based on our next-to-leading order calculation, we explore the properties of the static force for arbitrary values of $t$, as well as in the $t \to 0$ limit, which may be useful for lattice QCD studies.

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