arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to N. N. Scoccola.
We analyze the phase diagram of two-flavor quark matter under neutron star constraints for a nonlocal covariant quark model within the mean field approximation. Applications to cold compact stars are discussed.
We consider the color spin locking (CSL) phase of two-flavor quark matter at zero temperature for nonlocal instantaneous, separable interactions. We employ a Lorentzian-type form factor allowing a parametric interpolation between the sharp (Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model) and very smooth (e.g. Gaussian) cut-off models for systematic studies of the influence on the CSL condensate the deviation from the NJL model entails. This smoothing of the NJL model form factor shows advantageous features for the phenomenology of compact stars: (i) a lowering of the critical chemical potential for the onset of the chiral phase transition as a prerequisite for stability of hybrid stars with extended quark matter cores and (ii) a reduction of the smallest pairing gap to the order of 100 keV, being in the range of values interesting for phenomenological studies of hybrid star cooling evolution.
We present a comparative analysis of chiral quark models which include nonlocal covariant four-fermion couplings. We consider two alternative ways of introducing the nonlocality, as well as various shapes for the momentum-dependent form factors governing the effective interactions. In all cases we study the behavior of model parameters and analyze numerical results for constituent quark masses and quark propagator poles. Advantages of these covariant nonlocal schemes over instantaneous nonlocal schemes and the standard NJL model are pointed out.
We consider the phase diagram of two-flavor quark matter under neutron star constraints for two nonlocal, covariant quark models within the mean field approximation. In the first case (Model I) the nonlocality arises from the regularization procedure, motivated by the instanton liquid model, whereas in the second one (Model II) a separable approximation of the one-gluon exchange interaction is applied. We find that Model II predicts a larger quark mass gap and a chiral symmetry breaking (CSB) phase transition line which extends 15-20% further into the phase diagram spanned by temperature (T) and chemical potential (mu). The corresponding critical temperature at mu=0, T_c(0)~140 MeV, is in better accordance to recent lattice QCD results than the prediction of the standard local NJL model, which exceeds 200 MeV. For both Model I and Model II we have considered various coupling strengths in the scalar diquark channel, showing that different low-temperature quark matter phases can occur at intermediate densities: a normal quark matter (NQM) phase, a two-flavor superconducting (2SC) quark matter phase and a mixed 2SC-NQM phase. Although in most cases there is also a gapless 2SC phase, this occurs in general in a small region at nonzero temperatures, thus its effect should be negligible for compact star applications.
We construct a new color neutral ground state of two-flavor color superconducting quark matter. It is shown that, in contrast with the conventionally considered ground state with diquark pairing in only one color direction, this new state is stable against arbitrary diquark fluctuations. In addition, the thermodynamical potential is found to be lower for this new state than for the conventional one.
The characteristics of the chiral phase transition are analyzed within the framework of chiral quark models with nonlocal interactions in the mean field approximation. In the chiral limit, we develop a semi-analytic framework which allows us to explicitly determine the phase transition curve, the position of the critical points, some relevant critical exponents, etc. For the case of finite current quark masses, we show the behavior of various thermodynamical and chiral response functions across the phase transition.
The hadronic decays of non-strange negative parity baryons are analyzed in the framework of the 1/Nc expansion. A complete basis of spin-flavor operators for the pseudoscalar meson S and D partial wave amplitudes is established to order 1/Nc and the unknown effective coefficients are determined by fitting to the empirically known widths. A set of relations between widths that result at the leading order, i.e. order Nc^0, is given and tested with the available data.
The decays of non-strange positive parity excited baryons via emission of a pseudo-scalar meson are studied in the framework of the 1/Nc expansion to order 1/Nc. In particular, the pionic decays of the l=0 Roper baryons and of the l=2 baryons in the mass interval 1680-1950 MeV are analyzed using the available partial decay widths. Decay widths by emission of an eta meson are shown to be suppressed by a factor 1/Nc^2 with respect to the pionic ones.
We study the competence between chiral symmetry restoration and two flavor color superconductivity (2SC) using a relativistic quark model with covariant nonlocal interactions. We consider two different nonlocal regulators: a Gaussian regulator and a Lorentzian regulator. We find that although the phase diagrams are qualitative similar to those obtained using models with local interactions, in our case the superconducting gaps at medium values of the chemical potential are larger. Consequently, we obtain that in that region the critical temperatures for the disappearance of the 2SC phase might be of the order of 100-120 MeV. We also find that for ratios of the quark-quark and quark-antiquark couplings somewhat above the standard value 3/4, the end point and triple point in the $T-μ$ phase diagram meet and a phase where both the chiral and diquark condensates are non-negligible appears.
We study the properties of the light pseudoscalar mesons in a three flavor chiral quark model with nonlocal separable interactions. We concentrate on the evaluation of meson masses and decay constants, considering both the cases of Gaussian and Lorentzian nonlocal regulators. The results are found to be in quite good agreement with the empirical values, in particular in the case of the ratio f_K/f_pi and the anomalous decay pi^0 --> gamma gamma. In addition, the model leads to a reasonable description of the observed phenomenology in the eta-eta' sector, even though it implies the existence of two significantly different state mixing angles.
The mass spectrum of the positive parity [56,2^+] baryons is studied in the 1/Nc expansion up to and including O(1/Nc) effects with SU(3) symmetry breaking implemented to first order. A total of eighteen mass relations result, several of which are tested with the available data. The breaking of spin-flavor symmetry is dominated by the hyperfine interactions, while spin-orbit effects are found to be small.
The masses of the negative parity SU(6) 70-plet baryons are analyzed in the 1/Nc expansion to order 1/Nc and to first order in SU(3) breaking. At this level of precision there are twenty predictions. Among them there are the well known Gell-Mann Okubo and equal spacing relations, and four new relations involving SU(3) breaking splittings in different SU(3) multiplets. Although the breaking of SU(6) symmetry occurs at zeroth order in 1/Nc, it turns out to be small. The dominant source of the breaking is the hyperfine interaction which is of order 1/Nc. The spin-orbit interaction, of zeroth order in 1/Nc, is entirely fixed by the splitting between the singlet states Lambda(1405) and Lambda(1520), and the spin-orbit puzzle is solved by the presence of other zeroth order operators involving flavor exchange.
The masses of the negative parity 70-plet baryons are analyzed in large N_c QCD to order 1/N_c and to first order in SU(3) symmetry breaking. The existing experimental data are well reproduced and twenty new observables are predicted. The leading order SU(6) spin-flavor symmetry breaking is small and, as it occurs in the quark model, the subleading in 1/N_c hyperfine interaction is the dominant source of the breaking. It is found that the Lambda(1405) and Lambda(1520) are well described as three-quark states and spin-orbit partners. New relations between splittings in different SU(3) multiplets are found.
Chiral quark models with non-local covariant separable interactions at finite temperature and chemical potential are investigated. We develop a formalism in which the different quark properties are evaluated taking into account the analytic structure of the quark propagator. In this framework we study the chiral restoration phase transition for several definite non-local regulators, including that arising within the instanton liquid picture. We find that in all cases the chiral transition is of first order for low values of T, turning into a smooth crossover at a certain "end point". Using model parameters which lead to the physical pion mass and decay constant, we find for the position of this "end point" the values (T_E, mu_E) approx. (60-70, 180-210) MeV. We also discuss the special relevance of the first poles of the quark propagator.
The properties of the chiral phase transition at finite temperature and chemical potential are investigated within a nonlocal covariant extension of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model based on a separable quark-quark interaction. We consider both the situation in which the Minkowski quark propagator has poles at real energies and the case where only complex poles appear. In the literature, the latter has been proposed as a realization of confinement. In both cases, the behaviour of the physical quantities as functions of T and μis found to be quite similar. In particular, for low values of T the chiral transition is always of first order and, for finite quark masses, at certain "end point" the transition turns into a smooth crossover. In the chiral limit, this "end point" becomes a "tricritical" point. Our predictions for the position of these points are similar, although somewhat smaller, than previous estimates. Finally, the relation between the deconfining transition and chiral restoration is also discussed.
Non-leptonic hyperon weak decays are investigated in the SU(3) Skyrme model. We use a collective coordinate scheme, following the approach in which the symmetry breaking terms in the strong effective action are diagonalized exactly. To describe the weak interactions we use an octet dominated weak effective lagrangian that leads to a good description of the known 2πand 3πkaon decays. We show that the observed S-wave decays are reasonably well reproduced in the model. On the other hand, our calculated P-wave amplitudes do not agree with the empirical ones even though both pole and contact contributions to these amplitudes are properly taken into account. Finally, an estimate of the non-octet contributions to the decay amplitudes is presented.
The long standing problem of proton-neutron pairing and, in particular, the limitations imposed on the solutions by the available symmetries, is revisited. We look for solutions with non-vanishing expectation values of the proton, the neutron and the isoscalar gaps. For an equal number of protons and neutrons we find two solutions where the absolute values of proton and neutrons gaps are equal but have the same or opposite sign. The behavior and structure of these solutions differ for spin saturated (single l-shell) and spin unsaturared systems (single j-shell). In the former case the BCS results are checked against an exact calculation.
We develop the formalism to study the hyperon-nucleon interaction potential within the bound state approach to the SU(3) Skyrme model. The general framework is illustrated by applying it to the diagonal $ΛN$ potential. The central, spin-spin and tensor components of this interaction are obtained and compared with those derived using alternative schemes.