arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to H. Leutwyler.
Recent developments in low energy pion physics are reviewed, emphasizing the strength of dispersion theory in this context. As an illustration of the method, I discuss some consequences of the forward dispersion relation obeyed by the isoscalar component of the scattering amplitude.
I report on recent work done in collaboration with Irinel Caprini and Gilberto Colangelo. We observe that the Roy equations lead to a representation of the pion pion scattering amplitude that exclusively involves observable quantities, but is valid for complex values of s. At low energies, this representation is dominated by the contributions from the two subtraction constants, which are known to remarkable precision from the low energy theorems of chiral perturbation theory. Evaluating the remaining contributions on the basis of the available data, we demonstrate that the lowest resonance carries the quantum numbers of the vacuum and occurs in the vicinity of the threshold. Although the uncertainties in the data are substantial, the pole position can be calculated quite accurately, because it occurs in the region where the amplitude is dominated by the subtractions. The calculation neatly illustrates the fact that the dynamics of the Goldstone bosons is governed by the symmetries of QCD.
The scalar radius of the pion plays an important role in CHPT, because it is related to one of the basic effective coupling constants, viz. the one which controls the quark mass dependence of F_pi at one loop. In a recent paper, Yndurain derives a {\it robust lower bound} for this radius, which disagrees with earlier determinations. We show that such a bound does not exist: the "derivation" relies on an incorrect claim. Moreover, we discuss the physics of the form factors associated with the operators \ubar u, \dbar d and \sbar s and show that their structure in the vicinity of the K \Kbar threshold is quite different. Finally, we draw attention to the fact that the new data on the slope of the scalar K_l3 form factor confirm a recent, remarkably sharp theoretical prediction.
In a recent paper, Pelaez and Yndurain evaluate some of the low energy observables of pi pi scattering and obtain flat disagreement with our earlier results. The authors work with unsubtracted dispersion relations, so that their results are very sensitive to the poorly known high energy behaviour of the scattering amplitude. They claim that the asymptotic representation we used is incorrect and propose an alternative one. We repeat their calculations on the basis of the standard, subtracted fixed-t dispersion relations, using their asymptotics. The outcome fully confirms our earlier findings. Moreover, we show that the Regge parametrization proposed by these authors for the region above 1.4 GeV violates crossing symmetry: Their ansatz is not consistent with the behaviour observed at low energies.
The Standard Model prediction for the magnetic moment of the muon requires a determination of the electromagnetic form factor of the pion at high precision. It is shown that the recent progress in pi-pi scattering allows us to obtain an accurate representation of this form factor on the basis of the data on e+e- -> pi+ pi-. The same method also applies to the form factor of the weak vector current, where the data on the decay tau -> pi- pi0 nu are relevant. Unfortunately, however, the known sources of isospin breaking do not explain the difference between the two results. The discrepancy implies that the Standard Model prediction for the magnetic moment of the muon is currently subject to a large uncertainty. Talk given in May 2002, in honor of Arkady Vainshtein.
The lectures review some of the basic concepts relevant for an understanding of the low energy properties of the strong interactions: chiral symmetry, spontaneous symmetry breakdown, Goldstone bosons, quark condensate. The effective field theory used to analyze the low energy structure is briefly sketched. As an illustration, I discuss the implications of the recent data on the decay $K\to ππeν$ for the magnitude of the quark condensate.
I draw attention to a recent breakthrough in the field of low energy pion physics: the consequences of the hidden symmetry of the QCD Hamiltonian have successfully been incorporated in the general dispersive framework for the pi-pi scattering amplitude, which is due to Roy. The meagre experimental information about the imaginary parts at and above 0.8 GeV suffices to unambiguously and accurately pin down the scattering amplitude at lower energies. The recent Brookhaven data on the reaction K -> pi pi e nu provide a significant test of the theory. They imply that the Gell-Mann-Oakes-Renner relation is approximately valid -- the bulk of the pion mass indeed originates in the quark condensate.
We derive a representation for the pion nucleon scattering amplitude that is valid to the fourth order of the chiral expansion. To obtain the correct analytic structure of the singularities in the low energy region, we have performed the calculation in a relativistic framework (infrared regularization). The result can be written in terms of functions of a single variable. We study the corresponding dispersion relations and discuss the problems encountered in the straightforward nonrelativistic expansion of the infrared singularities. As an application, we evaluate the corrections to the Goldberger-Treiman relation and to the low energy theorem that relates the value of the amplitude at the Cheng-Dashen point to the σ-term. While chiral symmetry does govern the behaviour of the amplitude in the vicinity of this point, the representation for the scattering amplitude is not accurate enough to use it for an extrapolation of the experimental data to the subthreshold region. We propose to perform this extrapolation on the basis of a set of integral equations that interrelate the lowest partial waves and are analogous to the Roy equations for ππscattering.
The role of the quark condensate for the low energy structure of QCD is discussed in some detail. In particular, the dependence of M_pi on m_u and m_d and the low energy theorems for the pi-pi scattering amplitude are reviewed. The new data on Ke4 decay beautifully confirm the standard picture, according to which the quark condensate is the leading order parameter of the spontaneously broken chiral symmetry.
We demonstrate that, together with the available experimental information, chiral symmetry determines the low energy behaviour of the $ππ$ scattering amplitude to within very small uncertainties. In particular, the threshold parameters of the S-, P-, D- and F-waves are predicted, as well as the mass and width of the $ρ$ and of the broad bump in the S-wave. The implications for the coupling constants that occur in the effective Lagrangian beyond leading order and also show up in other processes, are discussed. Also, we analyze the dependence of various observables on the mass of the two lightest quarks in some detail, in view of the extrapolations required to reach the small physical masses on the lattice. The analysis relies on the standard hypothesis, according to which the quark condensate is the leading order parameter of the spontaneously broken symmetry. Our results provide the basis for an experimental test of this hypothesis, in particular in the framework of the ongoing DIRAC experiment: The prediction for the lifetime of the ground state of a $π^+π^-$ atom reads $τ=(2.90\pm 0.10)10^{-15} sec$.
We show that, independently of the size of the quark condensate, chiral symmetry correlates the two S-wave ππscattering lengths. In view of this constraint, the new precision data on K_{e_4} decay allow a remarkably accurate determination of these quantities. The result confirms the hypothesis that the quark condensate is the leading order parameter.
The reasons why a considerable effort is made to resolve the low energy structure of QCD are discussed. The effective field theory used for this purpose is illustrated with the recent progress made in the predictions for pipi scattering and in understanding the low energy properties of the theory in the large Nc limit.
The sum rule determinations of m_s and the chiral perturbation theory results for the ratios m_u/m_d and m_s/m_d are reviewed and a method for the extrapolation of lattice data to the physical values of m_u and m_d is outlined.
In the first part of the talk, I discussed the nature of the effective theory that describes the properties of the pion-nucleon-interaction at low energies, using the static model as a starting point. In the second part, I then pointed out that the infrared singularities occurring in the pi-N scattering amplitude are stronger and of a more complex structure than those encountered in pi-pi scattering. A formulation of the effective theory that properly accounts for these was described and the results obtained thereby were illustrated with a few examples.
The effective field theory relevant for the analysis of QCD at low energies is reviewed. The foundations of the method are discussed in some detail and a few illustrative examples are described.
We match the known chiral perturbation theory representation of the pi pi scattering amplitude to two loops with a phenomenological description that relies on the Roy equations. On this basis, the corrections to Weinberg's low energy theorems for the S-wave scattering lengths are worked out to second order in the expansion in powers of the quark masses. The resulting predictions, a00=0.220 \pm 0.005, a20=-0.0444 \pm 0.0010, contain remarkably small uncertainties and thus allow a very sensitive experimental test of the hypothesis that the quark condensate is the leading order parameter of the spontaneously broken chiral symmetry.
The construction of the effective Lagrangian relevant for the mesonic sector of QCD in the large N_c limit meets with a few rather subtle problems. We thoroughly examine these and show that, if the variables of the effective theory are chosen suitably, the known large N_c counting rules of QCD can unambiguously be translated into corresponding counting rules for the effective coupling constants. As an application, we demonstrate that the Kaplan-Manohar transformation is in conflict with these rules and is suppressed to all orders in 1/N_c. The anomalous dimension of the axial singlet current generates an additional complication: The corresponding external field undergoes nonmultiplicative renormalization. As a consequence, the Wess-Zumino-Witten term, which accounts for the U(3)_R x U(3)_L anomalies in the framework of the effective theory, contains pieces that depend on the running scale of QCD. The effect only shows up at nonleading order in 1/N_c, but requires specific unnatural parity contributions in the effective Lagrangian that restore renormalization group invariance.
We analyze the Roy equations for the lowest partial waves of elastic pi pi scattering and demonstrate that the two S-wave scattering lengths a_0^0 and a_0^2 are the essential parameters in the low energy region: Once these are known, the available experimental information determines the behaviour near threshold to within remarkably small uncertainties. An explicit numerical representation for the energy dependence of the S- and P-waves is given and it is shown that the threshold parameters of the D- and F-waves are also fixed very sharply in terms of a_0^0 and a^2_0. In agreement with earlier work, which is reviewed in some detail, we find that the Roy equations admit physically acceptable solutions only within a band of the (a_0^0,a_0^2) plane. We show that the data on the reactions e+e- -> pi pi and tau -> pi pi nu reduce the width of this band quite significantly. Furthermore, we discuss the relevance of the decay K -> pi pi e nu in restricting the allowed range of a_0^0, preparing the grounds for an analysis of the forthcoming precision data on this decay and on pionic atoms. We expect these to reduce the uncertainties in the two basic low energy parameters very substantially, so that a meaningful test of the chiral perturbation theory predictions will become possible.