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G. A. Miller

Publications and source records attributed to G. A. Miller.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
arXiv2000

Coherent Contributions of Nuclear Mesons to Electroproduction and the HERMES Effect

We show that nuclear sigma, omega, and pi mesons can contribute coherently to enhance the electroproduction cross section on nuclei for longitudinal virtual photons at low Q^2 while depleting the cross section for transverse photons. We are able to describe recent HERMES inelastic lepton-nucleus scattering data at low Q^2 and small x using photon-meson and meson-nucleus couplings which are consistent with (but not determined by) existing constraints from meson decay widths, nuclear structure, deep inelastic scattering, and lepton pair production data. We find that while nuclear-coherent pion currents are not important for the present data, they could be observed at different kinematics. Our model for coherent meson electroproduction requires the assumption of mesonic currents and couplings which can be verified in separate experiments. The observation of nuclear-coherent mesons in the final state would verify our theory and allow the identification of a specific dynamical mechanism for higher-twist processes.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2000

Chiral Three-Nucleon Forces from p-wave Pion Production

Production of p-wave pions in nucleon-nucleon collisions is studied according to an improved power counting that embodies the constraints of chiral symmetry. Contributions from the first two non-vanishing orders are calculated. We find reasonable convergence and agreement with data for a spin-triplet cross section in $pp\to ppπ^0$,with no free parameters. Agreement with existing data for a spin-singlet cross section in $pp\to pnπ^+$ constrains a short-range operator shown recently to contribute significantly to the three-nucleon potential.

nucl-th↗
arXiv1999

Infinite Nuclear Matter on the Light Front: A Modern Approach to Brueckner Theory

Understanding an important class of experiments requires that light-front dynamics and related light cone variables k^+ and k_perp be used. If one uses k^+ as a momentum variable, the corresponding canonical spatial variable is x^-=x^0-x^3 and the time variable is x^0+x^3. This is the light front (LF) approach of Dirac. A relativistic light front formulation of nuclear dynamics is developed and applied to treating infinite nuclear matter in a method which includes the corelations of pairs of nculeons. This is light front Brueckner theory.

nucl-th↗
arXiv1999

Light Front Nuclear Physics: Toy Models, Static Sources and Tilted Light Front Coordinates

The principles behind the detailed results of a light-front mean field theory of finite nuclei are elucidated by deriving the nucleon mode equation using a simple general argument, based on the idea that a static source in equal time coordinates corresponds to a moving source in light front coordinates. This idea also allows us to solve several simple toy model examples: scalar field in a box, 1+1 dimensional bag model, three-dimensional harmonic oscillator and the Hulthén potential. The latter provide simplified versions of momentum distributions and form factors of relevance to experiments. In particular, the relativistic correction to the mean square radius of a nucleus is shown to be very small. Solving these simple examples suggests another more general approach-- the use of tilted light front coordinates. The simple examples are made even simpler.

nucl-th↗
arXiv1999

Coherent Nuclear Difractive Production of Mini-Jets - Signature of Color Transparency

The process $π+ A$ leading to a pair of mini-jets at high relative transverse momentum ($k_t \gsim 2$ GeV) while leaving the nucleus in its ground state was selected as a definitive test of the existence of color transparency by Frankfurt, Miller and Strikman in 1993. The preliminary results of Fermilab experiment E791, led by Ashery and Weiss-Babai, show a strong A-dependence, consistent with the notion of color transparency.

nucl-th↗
arXiv1999

Light-Front Nuclear Physics: Mean Field Theory for Finite Nuclei

A light-front treatment for finite nuclei is developed from a relativistic effective Lagrangian (QHD1) involving nucleons, scalar mesons and vector mesons. We show that the necessary variational principle is a constrained one which fixes the expectation value of the total momentum operator $P^+$ to be the same as that for $P^-$. This is the same as minimizing the sum of the total momentum operators: $P^-+P^+$. We obtain a new light-front version of the equation that defines the single nucleon modes. The solutions of this equation are approximately a non-trivial phase factor times certain solutions of the usual equal-time Dirac equation. The ground state wave function is treated as a meson-nucleon Fock state, and the meson fields are treated as expectation values of field operators in that ground state. The resulting equations for these expectation values are shown to be closely related to the usual meson field equations. A new numerical technique to solve the self-consistent field equations is introduced and applied to $^{16}$O and $^{40}$Ca. The computed binding energies are essentially the same as for the usual equal-time theory. The nucleon plus momentum distribution (probability for a nucleon to have a given value of $p^+$) is obtained, and peaks for values of $p^+$ about seventy percent of the nucleon mass. The mesonic component of the ground state wave function is used to determine the scalar and vector meson momentum distribution functions, with a result that the vector mesons carry about thirty percent of the nuclear plus-momentum. The vector meson momentum distribution becomes more concentrated at $p^+=0$ as $A$ increases.

nucl-th↗
arXiv1999

The N N -> NN pi+ Reaction near Threshold in a Chiral Power Counting Approach

Power-counting arguments are used to organize the interactions contributing to the N N -> d pi, p n pi reactions near threshold. We estimate the contributions from the three formally leading mechanisms: the Weinberg-Tomozawa (WT) term, the impulse term, and the $Δ$-excitation mechanism. Sub-leading but potentially large mechanisms, including $S$-wave pion-rescattering, the Galilean correction to the WT term, and short-ranged contributions are also examined. The WT term is shown to be numerically the largest, and the other contributions are found to approximately cancel. Similarly to the reaction p p -> p p pi0, the computed cross sections are considerably smaller than the data. We discuss possible origins of this discrepancy.

nucl-th↗
arXiv1999

Infinite Nuclear Matter on the Light Front: Nucleon-Nucleon Correlations

A relativistic light front formulation of nuclear dynamics is developed and applied to treating infinite nuclear matter in a method which includes the correlations of pairs of nucleons: this is light front Brueckner theory. We start with a hadronic meson-baryon Lagrangian that is consistent with chiral symmetry. This is used to obtain a light front version of a one-boson-exchange nucleon-nucleon potential (OBEP). The accuracy of our description of the nucleon-nucleon (NN) data is good, and similar to that of other relativistic OBEP models. We derive, within the light front formalism, the Hartree-Fock and Brueckner Hartree-Fock equations. Applying our light front OBEP, the nuclear matter saturation properties are reasonably well reproduced. We obtain a value of the compressibility, 180 MeV, that is smaller than that of alternative relativistic approaches to nuclear matter in which the compressibility usually comes out too large. Because the derivation starts from a meson-baryon Lagrangian, we are able to show that replacing the meson degrees of freedom by a NN interaction is a consistent approximation, and the formalism allows one to calculate corrections to this approximation in a well-organized manner. The simplicity of the vacuum in our light front approach is an important feature in allowing the derivations to proceed. The mesonic Fock space components of the nuclear wave function are obtained also, and aspects of the meson and nucleon plus-momentum distribution functions are computed. We find that there are about 0.05 excess pions per nucleon.

nucl-th↗
arXiv1999

Light Front Theory Of Nuclear Matter

A relativistic light front formulation of nuclear dynamics is applied to infinite nuclear matter. A hadronic meson-baryon Lagrangian, consistent with chiral symmetry, leads to a nuclear eigenvalue problem which is solved, including nucleon-nucleon (NN) correlations, in the one-boson-exchange approximation for the NN potential. The nuclear matter saturation properties are reasonably well reproduced, with a compression modulus of 180 MeV. We find that there are about 0.05 excess pions per nucleon.

nucl-th↗
arXiv1999

Rotational Invariance In Nuclear Light-Front Mean Field Theory

A light-front treatment for spherical nuclei is developed from a relativistic effective Lagrangian and employing the mean field approximation. Minimizing the nuclear minus momentum subject to the constraint that, in the rest frame, the expectation values of the plus- and minus-momenta are the same leads to a formalism in which rotational invariance is recovered.

nucl-th↗
arXiv1998

Mesons in Nuclei in the Light-Front Mean Field Approximation and Deep-Inelastic Scattering

A light-front treatment for the scalar and vector meson momentum distribution functions is developed using a model in which the nucleus is treated a static source of radius $R$. The limit $R\to \infty$ corresponds to infinite nuclear matter. In this limit, the scalar mesons are shown to carry a vanishing momentum fraction of the nuclear plus momentum $k^+$, but the vector mesons carry a significant fraction, all occuring at the experimentally inaccessible value of $k^+=0$. This confirms earlier work. A study of the $R$ dependence for sizes of real nuclei shows that a fraction of the scalar and vector mesons could be observable.

nucl-th↗
arXiv1997

Is J/psi-Nucleon Scattering Dominated by the Gluonic van der Waals Interaction?

The gluon-exchange contribution to $J/ψ$-nucleon scattering is shown to yield a sizeable scattering length of about -0.25 fm, which is consistent with the sparse available data. Hadronic corrections to gluon exchange which are generated by $ρπ$ and $D\bar D$ intermediate states of the $J/ψ$ are shown to be negligible. We also propose a new method to study $J/ψ$-nucleon elastic scattering in the reaction $π^+ d\to J/ψp p$.

hep-ph↗
arXiv1996

Chiral Transparency

Color transparency is the vanishing of initial and final state interactions, predicted by QCD to occur in high momentum transfer quasielastic nuclear reactions. For specific reactions involving nucleons, the initial and final state interactions are expected to be dominated by exchanges of pions. We argue that these interactions are also suppressed in high momentum transfer nuclear quasielastic reactions; this is ``chiral transparency". We show that studies of the $e ^3He \to e'Δ^{++} nn$ reaction could reveal the influence of chiral transparency.

nucl-th↗
arXiv1996

Meson Exchange and Pion Rescattering Contributions to the Cross Section for $pp\to ppπ^0$

Short range meson-exchange mechanisms such as $ρ\toωπ^0$ contribute significantly to the amplitude for $pp\rightarrow ppπ^0$ near threshold in addition to pion rescattering. The uncertainty of the latter contribution, which depends on poorly determined parameters, is estimated. Allowing for this uncertainty and taking the short range meson-exchange contributions into account makes it possible to reproduce the measured cross section.

nucl-th↗
arXiv1996

The $p p \to p pπ^0$ Reaction near Threshold: A Chiral Power Counting Approach

We use power-counting arguments as an organizing principle to apply chiral perturbation theory, including an explicit $Δ$, to the $p p \rightarrow p p π^0$ reaction near threshold. There are two lowest-order leading mechanisms expected to contribute to the amplitude with similar magnitudes: an impulse term, and a $Δ$-excitation mechanism. We examine formally sub-leading but potentially large mechanisms, including pion-rescattering and short-ranged contributions. We show that the pion-rescattering contribution is enhanced by off-shell effects and has a sign opposite to that of a recent estimate based on a PCAC pion interpolating field. Our result is that the impulse term interferes destructively with the pion rescattering and $Δ$-excitation terms. In addition, we have modeled the short-ranged interaction using $σ$ and $ω$ exchange mechanisms. A recoil correction to the impulse approximation is small. The total amplitude obtained including all of these processes is found to yield cross sections substantially smaller than the measured ones.

nucl-th↗
arXiv1995

Spectral Density on the Lattice

Spectral density in the pseudoscalar and vector channels is extracted from the SU(2) lattice quenched data. It is shown to consist of three sharp poles within the energy range accessible on the lattice.

hep-lat↗
arXiv1995

The Role of Color Neutrality in Nuclear Physics--Modifications of Nucleonic Wave Functions

The influence of the nuclear medium upon the internal structure of a composite nucleon is examined. The interaction with the medium is assumed to depend on the relative distances between the quarks in the nucleon consistent with the notion of color neutrality, and to be proportional to the nucleon density. In the resulting description the nucleon in matter is a superposition of the ground state (free nucleon) and radial excitations. The effects of the nuclear medium on the electromagnetic and weak nucleon form factors, and the nucleon structure function are computed using a light-front constituent quark model. Further experimental consequences are examined by considering the electromagnetic nuclear response functions. The effects of color neutrality supply small but significant corrections to predictions of observables.

nucl-th↗