arXiv subjects

D. R. Phillips

Publications and source records attributed to D. R. Phillips.

85 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv1999

Scheming in Dimensional Regularization

We consider the most general loop integral that appears in non-relativistic effective field theories with no light particles. The divergences of this integral are in correspondence with simple poles in the space of complex space-time dimensions. Integrals related to the original integral by subtraction of one or more poles in dimensions other than D=4 lead to nonminimal subtraction schemes. Subtraction of all poles in correspondence with ultraviolet divergences of the loop integral leads naturally to a regularization scheme which is precisely equivalent to cutoff regularization. We therefore recover cutoff regularization from dimensional regularization with a nonminimal subtraction scheme. We then discuss the power-counting for non-relativistic effective field theories which arises in these alternative schemes.

hep-th↗

arXiv1998

Regularization and the potential of effective field theory in nucleon-nucleon scattering

This paper examines the role that regularization plays in the definition of the potential used in effective field theory (EFT) treatments of the nucleon-nucleon interaction. I consider $NN$ scattering in $S$-wave channels at momenta well below the pion mass. In these channels (quasi-)bound states are present at energies well below the scale $m_π^2/M$ expected from naturalness arguments. I ask whether, in the presence of such a shallow bound state, there is a regularization scheme which leads to an EFT potential that is both useful and systematic. In general, if a low-lying bound state is present then cutoff regularization leads to an EFT potential which is useful but not systematic, and dimensional regularization with minimal subtraction leads to one which is systematic but not useful. The recently-proposed technique of dimensional regularization with power-law divergence subtraction allows the definition of an EFT potential which is both useful and systematic.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1998

Electron-deuteron scattering in a current-conserving description of relativistic bound states: formalism and impulse approximation calculations

The electromagnetic interactions of a relativistic two-body bound state are formulated in three dimensions using an equal-time (ET) formalism. This involves a systematic reduction of four-dimensional dynamics to a three-dimensional form by integrating out the time components of relative momenta. A conserved electromagnetic current is developed for the ET formalism. It is shown that consistent truncations of the electromagnetic current and the $NN$ interaction kernel may be made, order-by-order in the coupling constants, such that appropriate Ward-Takahashi identities are satisfied. A meson-exchange model of the $NN$ interaction is used to calculate deuteron vertex functions. Calculations of electromagnetic form factors for elastic scattering of electrons by deuterium are performed using an impulse-approximation current. Negative-energy components of the deuteron's vertex function and retardation effects in the meson-exchange interaction are found to have only minor effects on the deuteron form factors.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1997

Regularization and renormalization in effective field theories of the nucleon-nucleon interaction

Some form of nonperturbative regularization is necessary if effective field theory treatments of the NN interaction are to yield finite answers. We discuss various regularization schemes used in the literature. Two of these methods involve formally iterating the divergent interaction and then regularizing and renormalizing the resultant amplitude. Either a (sharp or smooth) cutoff can be introduced, or dimensional regularization can be applied. We show that these two methods yield different results after renormalization. Furthermore, if a cutoff is used, the NN phase shift data cannot be reproduced if the cutoff is taken to infinity. We also argue that the assumptions which allow the use of dimensional regularization in perturbative EFT calculations are violated in this problem. Another possibility is to introduce a regulator into the potential before iteration and then keep the cutoff parameter finite. We argue that this does not lead to a systematically-improvable NN interaction.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1997

The potential of effective field theory in NN scattering

We study an effective field theory of interacting nucleons at distances much greater than the pion's Compton wavelength. In this regime the NN potential is conjectured to be the sum of a delta function and its derivatives. The question we address is whether this sum can be consistently truncated at a given order in the derivative expansion, and systematically improved by going to higher orders. Regularizing the Lippmann-Schwinger equation using a cutoff we find that the cutoff can be taken to infinity only if the effective range is negative. A positive effective range---which occurs in nature---requires that the cutoff be kept finite and below the scale of the physics which has been integrated out, i.e. O(m_π). Comparison of cutoff schemes and dimensional regularization reveals that the physical scattering amplitude is sensitive to the choice of regulator. Moreover, we show that the presence of some regulator scale, a feature absent in dimensional regularization, is essential if the effective field theory of NN scattering is to be useful. We also show that one can define a procedure where finite cutoff dependence in the scattering amplitude is removed order by order in the effective potential. However, the characteristic momentum in the problem is given by the cutoff, and not by the external momentum. It follows that in the presence of a finite cutoff there is no small parameter in the effective potential, and consequently no systematic truncation of the derivative expansion can be made. We conclude that there is no effective field theory of NN scattering with nucleons alone.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1997

A covariant gauge-invariant three-dimensional description of relativistic bound-states

A formalism is presented which allows covariant three-dimensional bound-state equations to be derived systematically from four-dimensional ones without the use of delta-functions. The amplitude for the interaction of a bound state described by these equations with an electromagnetic probe is constructed. This amplitude is shown to be gauge invariant if the formalism is truncated at the same coupling-constant order in both the interaction kernel of the integral equation and the electromagnetic current operator.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1996

Short-range interactions in an effective field theory approach for nucleon-nucleon scattering

We investigate in detail the effect of making the range of the ``contact'' interaction used in effective field theory (EFT) calculations of NN scattering finite. This is done in both an effective field theory with explicit pions, and one where the pions have been integrated out. In both cases we calculate NN scattering in the ${}^1 S_0$ channel using potentials which are second-order in the EFT expansion. The contact interactions present in the EFT Lagrangian are made finite by use of a square-well regulator. We find that there is an optimal radius for this regulator, at which second-order corrections to the EFT are identically zero; for radii near optimal these second-order corrections are small. The cutoff EFTs which result from this procedure appear to be valid for momenta up to about 100 MeV/c. We also find that the radius of the square well cannot be reduced to zero if the theory is to reproduce both the experimental scattering length and effective range. Indeed, we show that, if the NN potential is the sum of a one-pion exchange piece and a short-range interaction, then the short-range piece must extend out beyond 1.1 fm, regardless of its particular form.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1996

Low-energy interaction of composite spin-half systems with scalar and vector fields

We consider a composite spin-half particle moving in spatially-varying scalar and vector fields. The vector field is assumed to couple to a conserved charge, but no assumption is made about either the structure of the composite or its coupling to the scalar field. A general form for the piece of the spin-orbit interaction of the composite with the scalar and vector fields which is first-order in momentum transfer ${\bf Q}$ and second-order in the fields is derived.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1996

Relativistic bound-state equations in three dimensions

Firstly, a systematic procedure is derived for obtaining three-dimensional bound-state equations from four-dimensional ones. Unlike ``quasi-potential approaches'' this procedure does not involve the use of delta-function constraints on the relative four-momentum. In the absence of negative-energy states, the kernels of the three-dimensional equations derived by this technique may be represented as sums of time-ordered perturbation theory diagrams. Consequently, such equations have two major advantages over quasi-potential equations: they may easily be written down in any Lorentz frame, and they include the meson-retardation effects present in the original four-dimensional equation. Secondly, a simple four-dimensional equation with the correct one-body limit is obtained by a reorganization of the generalized ladder Bethe-Salpeter kernel. Thirdly, our approach to deriving three-dimensional equations is applied to this four-dimensional equation, thus yielding a retarded interaction for use in the three-dimensional bound-state equation of Wallace and Mandelzweig. The resulting three-dimensional equation has the correct one-body limit and may be systematically improved upon. The quality of the three-dimensional equation, and our general technique for deriving such equations, is then tested by calculating bound-state properties in a scalar field theory using six different bound-state equations. It is found that equations obtained using the method espoused here approximate the wave functions obtained from their parent four-dimensional equations significantly better than the corresponding quasi-potential equations do.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1996

Solving the four-dimensional $NN-πNN$ equations for scalars below meson-production threshold

The four-dimensional $NN-πNN$ equations are adapted to the case of scalar particles with a $ϕ^2σ$ interaction Lagrangian, and solved for energies below the $σ$-production threshold. This is achieved in the approximation where $ϕσ$ scattering is dominated by the $s$-channel $ϕ$-pole term. The importance of the removal of double-counting is investigated, and a detailed comparison of the results of a covariant coupled-channels formulation and the Bethe-Salpeter equation in the ladder and ladder plus crossed-box approximations is presented. A brief discussion of the extension of the method to energies above the $σ$-production threshold is given.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1995

Covariant four-dimensional scattering equations for the $NN-πNN$ system

We derive a set of coupled four-dimensional integral equations for the $NN-πNN$ system using our modified version of the Taylor method of classification-of-diagrams. These equations are covariant, obey two and three-body unitarity and contain subtraction terms which eliminate the double-counting present in some previous four-dimensional $NN-πNN$ equations. The equations are then recast into a from convenient for computation by grouping the subtraction terms together and obtaining a set of two-fragment scattering equations for the amplitudes of interest.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1994

The classification of diagrams in perturbation theory

The derivation of scattering equations connecting the amplitudes obtained from diagrammatic expansions is of interest in many branches of physics. One method for deriving such equations is the classification-of-diagrams technique of Taylor. However, as we shall explain in this paper, there are certain points of Taylor's method which require clarification. Firstly, it is not clear whether Taylor's original method is equivalent to the simpler classification-of-diagrams scheme used by Thomas, Rinat, Afnan and Blankleider (TRAB). Secondly, when the Taylor method is applied to certain problems in a time-dependent perturbation theory it leads to the over-counting of some diagrams. This paper first restates Taylor's method, in the process uncovering reasons why certain diagrams might be double-counted in the Taylor method. It then explores how far Taylor's method is equivalent to the simpler TRAB method. Finally, it examines precisely why the double-counting occurs in Taylor's method, and derives corrections which compensate for this double-counting.

nucl-th↗

arXiv1993

Perturbation schemes for systems of nucleons and pions: The relationship of covariant perturbation theory, the convolution integral and time-ordered perturbation theory

This paper is the first in a series of three which attempt to resolve the difficulties that have plagued the $NN-πNN$ problem for the past ten years. Various theoretical inconsistencies in the current formulation have been pointed out and this work aims to eliminate these inconsistencies and so, we hope, produce agreement with experiment. This is to be done by using covariant perturbation theory, in which these inconsistencies are not present. The covariant perturbation theory is developed starting from a model Lagrangian, in order to fix notation and phases. It is shown that both old-fashioned "time-ordered" perturbation theory and the convolution integral of Kvinikhidze and Blankleider may be recovered from the covariant perturbation theory when certain approximations are made. The connection of these results with the work of Klein, Lévy, Macke and Kadyshevsky is discussed. Two forthcoming papers will pursue this covariant calculation in the $NN-πNN$ system using the model and perturbation scheme developed in this paper and derive fully covariant $NN-πNN$ equations without the double counting problems present in previous covariant equations.

nucl-th↗