arXiv subjects

C. D. Roberts

Publications and source records attributed to C. D. Roberts.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2001

Pair Creation and an X-ray Free Electron Laser

Using a quantum kinetic equation coupled to Maxwell's equation we study the possibility that focused beams at proposed X-ray free electron laser facilities can generate electric field strengths large enough to cause spontaneous electron-positron pair production from the QED vacuum. Our approach yields the time and momentum dependence of the single particle distribution function. Under conditions reckoned achievable at planned facilities, repeated cycles of particle creation and annihilation take place in tune with the laser frequency. However, the peak particle number density is insensitive to this frequency and one can anticipate the production of a few hundred particle pairs per laser period. Field-current feedback and quantum statistical effects are small and can be neglected in this application of non-equilibrium quantum mean field theory.

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arXiv2001

The Character of Goldstone Bosons

A succinct review of the QCD gap equation and dynamical chiral symmetry breaking; their connection with Bethe-Salpeter equations and resolving the dichotomous nature of the pion; the calculation of the pion's valence-quark distribution; and first results for the pi-exchange contribution to the gamma N -> omega N cross-section, which is important in the search for missing nucleon resonances.

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arXiv2001

Neutron electric dipole moment: Constituent-dressing and compositeness

Contributions to the neutron's EDM, are calculated using a well-constrained Ansatz for the nucleon's Poincare' covariant Fadde'ev amplitude. The momentum-dependent quark dressing amplifies the contribution from the current-quarks' EDMs; and dressed-quark confinement and binding make distinguishable the effect of the two CP and T violating interactions: i gamma_5 sigma_{mu nu} (p_1-p_2)_nu and gamma_5 (p_1+p_2)_mu, where p_{1,2} are the current-quarks' momenta. The value of |d_n| obtained using the current-quark EDMs generated by a minimal three Higgs doublet model of spontaneous CP violation is close to the current experimental upper bound.

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arXiv2001

Plasma production and thermalisation in a strong field

Aspects of the formation and equilibration of a quark-gluon plasma are explored using a quantum kinetic equation, which involves a non-Markovian, Abelian source term for quark and antiquark production and, for the collision term, a relaxation time approximation that defines a time-dependent quasi-equilibrium temperature and collective velocity. The strong Abelian field is determined via the simultaneous solution of Maxwell's equation. A particular feature of this approach is the appearance of plasma oscillations in all thermodynamic observables. Their presence can lead to a sharp increase in the time-integrated dilepton yield.

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arXiv2000

Pair creation and plasma oscillations

We describe aspects of particle creation in strong fields using a quantum kinetic equation with a relaxation-time approximation to the collision term. The strong electric background field is determined by solving Maxwell's equation in tandem with the Vlasov equation. Plasma oscillations appear as a result of feedback between the background field and the field generated by the particles produced. The plasma frequency depends on the strength of the initial background field and the collision frequency, and is sensitive to the necessary momentum-dependence of dressed-parton masses.

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arXiv2000

Diquarks and Density

We describe aspects of the role that diquark correlations play in understanding baryon structure and interactions. The significance of diquarks in that application motivates a study of the possibility that dense hadronic matter may exhibit diquark condensation; i.e., quark-quark pairing promoted by a quark chemical potential. A Gorkov-Nambu-like gap equation is introduced for QCD and analysed for 2-colour QCD (QC2D) and, in two qualitatively different truncations, for QCD itself. Among other interesting features, we illustrate that QC2D with massive fermions undergoes a second-order transition to a superfluid phase when the chemical potential exceeds 0.5 m.pi. In the QCD application we illustrate that the sigma= .neq. 0 phase, which determines the properties of the mass spectrum at zero temperature and chemical potential, is unstable with respect to the superfluid phase when the chemical potential exceeds approx. 2 sigma, and that at this point the diquark gap is large, approx. 0.5 sigma. The superfluid phase survives to temperatures greater than that expected in the core of compact stars.

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arXiv2000

Valence-quark distributions in the pion

We calculate the pion's valence-quark momentum-fraction probability distribution using a Dyson-Schwinger equation model. Valence-quarks with an active mass of 0.30 GeV carry 71% of the pion's momentum at a resolving scale q_0=0.54 GeV = 1/(0.37 fm). The shape of the calculated distribution is characteristic of a strongly bound system and, evolved from q_0 to q=2 GeV, it yields first, second and third moments in agreement with lattice and phenomenological estimates, and valence-quarks carrying 49% of the pion's momentum. However, pointwise there is a discrepancy between our calculated distribution and that hitherto inferred from parametrisations of extant pion-nucleon Drell-Yan data.

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arXiv2000

Dyson-Schwinger Equations - aspects of the pion

The contemporary use of Dyson-Schwinger equations in hadronic physics is exemplified via applications to the calculation of pseudoscalar meson masses, and inclusive deep inelastic scattering with a determination of the pion's valence-quark distribution function.

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arXiv2000

Contemporary applications of Dyson-Schwinger equations

We illustrate the contemporary application of Dyson-Schwinger equations using two examples: the calculation of pseudoscalar meson masses, an associated model-independent mass formula and the approach to the heavy-quark limit; and the study of nucleon observables, including a calculation of its mass, $M$, via a covariant Fadde'ev equation and an estimate of pion-loop contributions to $M$.

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arXiv2000

Heavy-Meson Observables via Dyson-Schwinger Equations

We summarise a Dyson-Schwinger-equation-based calculation of an extensive range of light- and heavy-meson observables, characterised by heavy-meson leptonic decays, semileptonic heavy-to-heavy and heavy-to-light transitions, radiative and strong decays, and the rare flavour-changing neutral-current process. In the calculation the heavy-quark mass functions are approximated by constants, interpreted as their constituent mass.

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arXiv2000

DSE Hadron Phenomenology

A perspective on the contemporary use of Dyson-Schwinger equations, focusing on some recent phenomenological applications: a description and unification of light-meson observables using a one-parameter model of the effective quark-quark interaction, and studies of leptonic and nonleptonic nucleon form factors.

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arXiv2000

Dyson-Schwinger Equations: Density, Temperature and Continuum Strong QCD

Continuum strong QCD is the application of models and continuum quantum field theory to the study of phenomena in hadronic physics, which includes; e.g., the spectrum of QCD bound states and their interactions; and the transition to, and properties of, a quark gluon plasma. We provide a contemporary perspective, couched primarily in terms of the Dyson-Schwinger equations but also making comparisons with other approaches and models. Our discourse provides a practitioners' guide to features of the Dyson-Schwinger equations [such as confinement and dynamical chiral symmetry breaking] and canvasses phenomenological applications to light meson and baryon properties in cold, sparse QCD. These provide the foundation for an extension to hot, dense QCD, which is probed via the introduction of the intensive thermodynamic variables: chemical potential and temperature. We describe order parameters whose evolution signals deconfinement and chiral symmetry restoration, and chronicle their use in demarcating the quark gluon plasma phase boundary and characterising the plasma's properties. Hadron traits change in an equilibrated plasma. We exemplify this and discuss putative signals of the effects. Finally, since plasma formation is not an equilibrium process, we discuss recent developments in kinetic theory and its application to describing the evolution from a relativistic heavy ion collision to an equilibrated quark gluon plasma.

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arXiv2000

Temperature, chemical potential and the rho meson

We describe some applications of the Dyson-Schwinger equations at nonzero-(T,mu). Employing a simple model dressed-gluon propagator we determine the boundary of the deconfinement phase transition and the medium dependence of rho-meson properties. We introduce an extension to describe the time-evolution of scalar and vector self energies.

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arXiv2000

T-dependence of pseudoscalar and scalar correlations

Inhomogeneous pseudoscalar and scalar Bethe-Salpeter equations solved using a renormalisation-group-improved rainbow-ladder truncation exhibit bound state poles below and above T_c, the critical temperature for chiral symmetry restoration. Above T_c the bound state amplitudes are identical, as are the positions and residues of the pseudoscalar and scalar poles in the vertices. In the chiral limit the pi^0 -> gamma gamma coupling vanishes at T_c, as do f_pi, m_sigma, g_{sigma pi pi}. For light current-quark masses the 2-pi decay channel of the isoscalar-scalar meson remains open until very near T_c, and the widths of the dominant pion decay modes remain significant in the vicinity of the crossover.

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arXiv1999

Selected nucleon form factors and a composite scalar diquark

A covariant, composite scalar diquark, Fadde'ev amplitude model for the nucleon is used to calculate pseudoscalar, isoscalar- and isovector-vector, axial-vector and scalar nucleon form factors. The last yields the nucleon sigma-term and on-shell sigma-nucleon coupling. The calculated form factors are soft, and the couplings are generally in good agreement with experiment and other determinations. Elements in the dressed-quark-axial-vector vertex that are not constrained by the Ward-Takahashi identity contribute ~20% to the magnitude of g_A. The calculation of the nucleon sigma-term elucidates the only unambiguous means of extrapolating meson-nucleon couplings off the meson mass-shell.

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arXiv1999

Memory effects and thermodynamics in strong field plasmas

We study the evolution of a strong field plasma using a quantum Vlasov equation with a non-Markovian source term and a simple collision term, and calculate the time dependence of the energy- and number-density, and the temperature. The evolution of a plasma produced with RHIC-like initial conditions is well described by a low density approximation to the source term. However, non-Markovian aspects should be retained to obtain an accurate description of the early stages of an LHC-like plasma.

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arXiv1999

K -> pi pi and a light scalar meson

We explore the Delta-I= 1/2 rule and epsilon'/epsilon in K -> pi pi transitions using a Dyson-Schwinger equation model. Exploiting the feature that QCD penguin operators direct K^0_S transitions through 0^{++} intermediate states, we find an explanation of the enhancement of I=0 K -> pi pi transitions in the contribution of a light sigma-meson. This mechanism also affects epsilon'/epsilon.

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arXiv1999

Nucleon form factors and a nonpointlike diquark

Nucleon form factors are calculated on q^2 in [0,3] GeV^2 using an Ansatz for the nucleon's Fadde'ev amplitude motivated by quark-diquark solutions of the relativistic Fadde'ev equation. Only the scalar diquark is retained, and it and the quark are confined. A good description of the data requires a nonpointlike diquark correlation with an electromagnetic radius of 0.8 r_pi. The composite, nonpointlike nature of the diquark is crucial. It provides for diquark-breakup terms that are of greater importance than the diquark photon absorption contribution.

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