Heavy Quark Systems Research Articles

Quantum computing for heavy quarkonium spectroscopy

We report a first demonstration for the application of quantum computing to heavy quarkonium spectroscopy study. Based on a Cornell-potential model for the heavy quark and antiquark system, we show how this Hamiltonian problem can be formulated and solved with the VQE approach on the IBM cloud quantum computing platform. Errors due to a global depolarizing noise channel are corrected with a zero-noise extrapolation method, resulting in good agreement with the expected value. We also extend the calculation to excited states on a noiseless quantum simulator by orthogonalization with respect to the ground state.

Spectrum of SU(2) gauge theory at large number of flavors

We present a numerical study of the spectrum of an asymptotically nonfree SU(2) gauge theory with ${N}_{f}=24$ massive fermion flavors. For such a large number of flavors, asymptotic freedom is lost and the massless theory is governed by a Gaussian fixed point at long distances. If fermions are massive they decouple at low energy scales and the theory is confining. We present a scaling law for the masses of the hadrons, glueballs and string tension as functions of fermion mass. The hadrons become effectively heavy quark systems, with masses approximately twice the fermion mass, whereas the energy scale of the confinement, probed by e.g., the string tension, is much smaller and vanishes asymptotically as ${m}_{\text{fermion}}^{2.18}$. Our results from lattice simulations are compatible with this behavior.

The history of LHCb

In this paper, we describe the history of the LHCb experiment over the last three decades, and its remarkable successes and achievements. LHCb was conceived primarily as a {b} -physics experiment, dedicated to CP violation studies and measurements of very rare {{b}} decays; however, the tremendous potential for {c} -physics was also clear. At first data taking, the versatility of the experiment as a general-purpose detector in the forward region also became evident, with measurements achievable such as electroweak physics, jets and new particle searches in open states. These were facilitated by the excellent capability of the detector to identify muons and to reconstruct decay vertices close to the primary {{p}} {{p}} interaction region. By the end of the LHC Run 2 in 2018, before the accelerator paused for its second long shut down, LHCb had measured the CKM quark mixing matrix elements and CP violation parameters to world-leading precision in the heavy-quark systems. The experiment had also measured many rare decays of {b} and {c} quark mesons and baryons to below their Standard Model expectations, some down to branching ratios of order 10^{-9}. In addition, world knowledge of {{b}} and {{c}} spectroscopy had improved significantly through discoveries of many new resonances already anticipated in the quark model, and also adding new exotic four and five quark states. The paper describes the evolution of the LHCb detector, from conception to its operation at the present time. The authors’ subjective summary of the experiment’s important contributions is then presented, demonstrating the wide domain of successful physics measurements that have been achieved over the years.

Quarkonium dissociation in perturbative QCD

For weakly bound quarkonia, we rederive the next-to-leading order cross sections of quarkonium dissociation by partons that include the hard thermal loop (HTL) resummation. Our results calculated with an effective vertex from the Bethe-Salpeter amplitude reduce to those obtained by potential nonrelativistic QCD (pNRQCD) in the relevant kinematical limit, and they can be used in a wide temperature range applicable to heavy quark systems in heavy ion collisions. Based on the lattice computation of the temperature-dependent binding energy, our numerical analysis on $\Upsilon(1S)$ indicates that at high temperature the dominant mechanism for quarkonium dissociation is inelastic parton scattering as expected in the quasifree approximation, while it is the gluo-dissociation at low temperature. By comparing with the momentum diffusion coefficient of a heavy quark, we discuss possible O(g) corrections to the next-to-leading order thermal width.

Heavy Quarkonia in a Contact Interaction and an Algebraic Model: Mass Spectrum, Decay Constants, Charge Radii and Elastic and Transition Form Factors

For the flavor-singlet heavy quark system of bottomonia, we compute the masses of the ground state mesons in four different channels, namely, pseudo-scalar ($\eta_{b}(1S)$), vector ($\Upsilon(1S)$), scalar ($\chi_{b_0}(1P)$) and axial vector ($\chi_{b_{1}}(1P)$). We also calculate the weak decay constants of the $\eta_{b}(1S)$ and $\Upsilon(1S)$ as well as the charge radius of $\eta_{b}(1S)$. It complements our previous study of the corresponding charmonia systems: $\eta_c(1S)$, $J/\Psi(1S)$, $\chi_{c_0}(1P)$) and ($\chi_{c_{1}}(1P)$). The unified formalism for this analysis is provided by a symmetry-preserving Schwinger-Dyson equations treatment of a vector$\times$vector contact interaction. Whenever a comparison is possible, our results are in fairly good agreement with experimental data and model calculations based upon Schwinger-Dyson and Bethe-Salpeter equations involving sophisticated interaction kernels. Within the same framework, we also report the elastic and transition form factors to two photons for the pseudo-scalar channels $\eta_{c}(1S)$ and $\eta_{b}(1S)$ in addition to the elastic form factors for the vector mesons $J/\Psi$ and $\Upsilon$ for a wide range of photon momentum transfer squared ($Q^2$). For $\eta_{c}(1S)$ and $\eta_{b}(1S)$, we also provide predictions of an algebraic model which correlates remarkably well between the known infrared and ultraviolet limits of these form factors.

Spectrum of Charmonia within a Contact Interaction

For the flavour-singlet heavy quark system of charmonia, we compute the masses of the ground state mesons in four different channels: pseudo-scalar (ηc(1S)), vector (J/ψ(1S)), scalar (χs0 (1P)) and axial vector (χc1 (1P)), as well as the weak decay constants of the ηc(1S) and J/ψ(1S). The framework for this analysis is provided by a symmetry-preserving Schwinger- Dyson equation (SDEs) treatment of a vector x vector contact interaction (CI). The results found for the meson masses and the weak decay constants, for the spin-spin combinations studied, are in fairly good agreement with experimental data and earlier model calculations based upon Schwinger-Dyson and Bethe-Salpeter equations (BSEs) involving sophisticated interaction kernels.

Spin and pseudo-spin symmetries of fermionic particles with an energy-dependent potential in non-commutative phase space

In this paper, we consider the Dirac equation in two dimensions influenced by an energy-dependent potential within a non-commutative phase space (NCP) framework for which no clear and reasonable solution has been given until now. By using the Nikiforov–Uvarov method to solve our difficult equations we obtain all the allowed energy eigenvalues and wave functions for particles with fermionic statistics, such as heavy quark systems, individual leptons etc. for both pseudo-spin and spin symmetries in the presence and absence of an external magnetic field. Finally we analyze the behavior of the energy values achieved in the NCP space in terms of the system's mass and magnetic field for several n, l levels of the present work.

ηcelastic and transition form factors: Contact interaction and algebraic model

For the flavor-singlet heavy quark system of charmonia in the pseudoscalar ($\eta_c(1S)$) channel, we calculate the elastic (EFF) and transition form factors (TFF) ($\eta_c(1S) \rightarrow \gamma \gamma^*$) for a wide range of photon momentum transfer squared ($Q^2$). The framework for this analysis is provided by a symmetry-preserving Schwinger-Dyson equation (SDE) and Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) treatment of a vector$\times$vector contact interaction (CI). We also employ an algebraic model (AM), developed earlier to describe the light quark systems. It correctly correlates infrared and ultraviolet dynamics of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The CI results agree with the lattice data for low $Q^2$. For $Q^2 \geqslant Q_0^2$, the results start deviating from the lattice results by more than $20 \%$. $Q_0^2 \thickapprox 2.5 {\rm GeV}^2$ for the EFF and $\thickapprox 25 {\rm GeV}^2$ for the TFF. We also present the results for the EFF, TFF as well as $\eta_c(1S)$ parton distribution amplitude for the AM. Wherever the comparison is possible, these results are in excellent agreement with the lattice, perturbative QCD, the results obtained through an SDE-BSE study, employing refined truncations, as well as the experimental findings of the BABAR experiment.

Production and decay of charmed baryons

In this paper, we discuss reactions involving charmed baryons to explore their unique features. A well known phenomenon, the separation of the two internal motions of the ρ and λ types of a three-quark system is revisited. First we discuss the mass spectrum of low lying excitations as function of the heavy quark mass, smoothly connecting the SU(3) and heavy quark limits. The properties of these modes can be tested in the production and decay reactions of the baryons. For production, we consider a one step process which excites dominantly λ modes. We find abundant production rates for some of the excited states. For decay, we study a pion emission process which provides a clean tool to test the structure of heavy quark systems due to the well controlled low energy dynamics of pions and quarks. Both production and decay of charmed baryons are issues for future experiments at J-PARC.

Approximate degeneracy of heavy-light mesons with the same L

Careful observation of the experimental spectra of heavy-light mesons tells us that heavy-light mesons with the same angular momentum $L$ are almost degenerate. The estimate is given how much this degeneracy is broken in our relativistic potential model, and it is analytically shown that expectation values of a commutator between the lowest order Hamiltonian and ${\vec L}^{~2}$ are of the order of $1/m_Q$ with a heavy quark mass $m_Q$. It turns out that nonrelativistic approximation of heavy quark system has a rotational symmetry and hence degeneracy among states with the same $L$. This feature can be tested by measuring higher orbitally and radially excited heavy-light meson spectra for $D/D_s/B/B_s$ in LHCb and forthcoming BelleII.

Factorization, resummation and sum rules for heavy-to-light form factors

Precision calculations of heavy-to-light form factors are essential to sharpen our understanding towards the strong interaction dynamics of the heavy-quark system and to shed light on a coherent solution of flavor anomalies. We briefly review factorization properties of heavy-to-light form factors in the framework of QCD factorization in the heavy quark limit and discuss the recent progress on the QCD calculation of $B \to \pi$ form factors from the light-cone sum rules with the $B$-meson distribution amplitudes. Demonstration of QCD factorization for the vacuum-to-$B$-meson correlation function used in the sum-rule construction and resummation of large logarithms in the short-distance functions entering the factorization theorem are presented in detail. Phenomenological implications of the newly derived sum rules for $B \to \pi$ form factors are further addressed with a particular attention to the extraction of the CKM matrix element $|V_{ub}|$.

Leading-twist parton distribution amplitudes of S-wave heavy-quarkonia

The leading-twist parton distribution amplitudes (PDAs) of ground-state S01 and S13cc¯- and bb¯-quarkonia are calculated using a symmetry-preserving continuum treatment of the meson bound-state problem which unifies the properties of these heavy-quark systems with those of light-quark bound-states, including QCD's Goldstone modes. Analysing the evolution of S01 and S13 PDAs with current-quark mass, mˆq, increasing away from the chiral limit, it is found that in all cases there is a value of mˆq for which the PDA matches the asymptotic form appropriate to QCD's conformal limit and hence is insensitive to changes in renormalisation scale, ζ. This mass lies just above that associated with the s-quark. At current-quark masses associated with heavy-quarkonia, on the other hand, the PDAs are piecewise convex–concave–convex. They are much narrower than the asymptotic distribution on a large domain of ζ; but nonetheless deviate noticeably from φQQ¯(x)=δ(x−1/2), which is the result in the static-quark limit. There are also material differences between S01 and S13 PDAs, and between the PDAs for different vector-meson polarisations, which vanish slowly with increasing ζ. An analysis of moments of the root-mean-square relative-velocity, 〈v2m〉, in S01 and S13 systems reveals that 〈v4〉-contributions may be needed in order to obtain a reliable estimate of matrix elements using such an expansion, especially for processes involving heavy pseudoscalar quarkonia.

Charmonia in a contact interaction

For the flavour-singlet heavy quark system of charmonia, we compute the masses of the ground state mesons in four different channels: pseudo-scalar ($\eta_c(1S)$), vector ($J/\Psi(1S)$), scalar ($\chi_{c_0}(1P)$) and axial vector ($\chi_{c_{1}}(1P)$), as well as the weak decay constants of the $\eta_c(1S)$ and $J/\Psi(1S)$ and the charge radius of $\eta_c(1S)$. The framework for this analysis is provided by a symmetry-preserving Schwinger-Dyson equation (SDEs) treatment of a vector$\times$vector contact interaction (CI). The results found for the meson masses and the weak decay constants, for the spin-spin combinations studied, are in fairly good agreement with experimental data and earlier model calculations based upon Schwinger-Dyson and Bethe-Salpeter equations (BSEs) involving sophisticated interaction kernels. The charge radius of $\eta_c(1S)$ is consistent with the results from refined SDE studies and lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD).

Renormalization of dimension 6 gluon operators

We identify the independent dimension 6 twist 4 gluon operators and calculate their renormalization in the pure gauge theory. By constructing the renormalization group invariant combinations, we find the scale invariant condensates that can be estimated in nonperturbative calculations and used in QCD sum rules for heavy quark systems in medium.

Heavy quark master equations in the Lindblad form at high temperatures

We derive the quantum master equations for heavy quark systems in a high-temperature quark- gluon plasma in the Lindblad form. The master equations are derived in the influence functional formalism for open quantum systems in perturbation theory. These master equations have a wide range of applications, such as decoherence of a heavy quarkonium and Langevin dynamics of a heavy quark in the quark-gluon plasma. We also show the equivalence between the quarkonium master equations in the recoilless limit and the Schroedinger equations with stochastic potential.

Free energy versus internal energy potential for heavy quark systems at finite temperature

Abstract The strength of the J / ψ wave function at origin | ψ ( 0 ) | is calculated by using the finite temperature QCD sum rule with the gluon condensates determined from the lattice QCD. The result is compared with that from a potential model based on the static free or internal energy obtained from lattice calculations. We find that the | ψ ( 0 ) | decreases with temperature around the deconfinement transition temperature both in the QCD sum rule and in the potential model with the free energy potential. Our result thus suggests that the free energy potential from lattice calculations is appropriate for describing the properties of charmonia at finite temperature.

Free energy versus internal energy potential for heavy-quark systems at finite temperature

Using the QCD sum rule with its operator product expansion reliably determined from lattice calculations for the pressure and energy density of hot QCD matter, we calculate the strength of the $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ wave function at the origin and find that it decreases with temperature when the temperature is in the vicinity of the transition temperature. This result is shown to follow exactly that obtained from the solution of the Schr\"odinger equation for a charm and anticharm quark pair with a temperature independent quark mass using the free energy from lattice calculations as the potential and is in sharp contrast to that using the deeper potential associated with the internal energy, which shows an enhanced strength of the $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ wave function at the origin. Our result thus suggests that the free energy potential from lattice calculations is the appropriate heavy-quark potential for analyzing the charmonium spectrum at a finite temperature.

Mean-field theory of baryonic matter for QCD in the largeNcand heavy quark mass limits

We discuss theoretical issues pertaining to baryonic matter in the combined heavy-quark and large ${N}_{c}$ limits of QCD. Witten's classic argument that baryons and interacting systems of baryons can be described in a mean-field approximation with each of the quarks moving in an average potential due to the remaining quarks is heuristic. It is important to justify this heuristic description for the case of baryonic matter since systems of interacting baryons are intrinsically more complicated than single baryons due to the possibility of hidden color states---states in which the subsystems making up the entire baryon crystal are not color-singlet nucleons but rather colorful states coupled together to make a color-singlet state. In this work, we provide a formal justification of this heuristic prescription. In order to do this, we start by taking the heavy quark limit, thus effectively reducing the problem to a many-body quantum mechanical system. This problem can be formulated in terms of integrals over coherent states, which for this problem are simple Slater determinants. We show that for the many-body problem, the support region for these integrals becomes narrow at large ${N}_{c}$, yielding an energy which is well approximated by a single coherent state---that is a mean-field description. Corrections to the energy are of relative order $1/{N}_{c}$. While hidden color states are present in the exact state of the heavy quark system, they only influence the interaction energy below leading order in $1/{N}_{c}$.

Real-time quantum dynamics of heavy-quark systems at high temperature

On the basis of the closed-time-path formalism of nonequilibrium quantum field theory, we derive the real-time quantum dynamics of heavy-quark systems. Even though our primary goal is the description of heavy quarkonia, our method allows a unified description of the propagation of single heavy quarks as well as their bound states. To make calculations tractable, we deploy leading-order perturbation theory and consider the nonrelativistic limit. Various dynamical equations, such as the master equation for quantum Brownian motion and the time-evolution equation for heavy-quark and quarkonium forward correlators, are obtained from a single operator: the renormalized effective Hamiltonian. We are thus able to reproduce previous results of perturbative calculations of the drag force and the complex potential simultaneously. In addition, we present stochastic time-evolution equations for the heavy-quark and quarkonium wave function, which are equivalent to the dynamical equations.

Study of Heavy Quarkonium with Energy Dependent Potential

Heavy quark systems (c and b ) have been studied in the nonrelativistic framework using energy dependent interquark potential of the form harmonic oscillator with a small linear term as energy dependent as perturbation plus a inverse square potential. This potential admits exact analytical solution of the Schrodinger equation. Mass spectra, leptonic decay width, root mean square radii (), the expectation value of the radius (r) and have been estimated for different quantum mechanical states for and systems. It is observed that energy dependent term in the potential leads to saturation of the mass spectra and degree of saturation is governed by the magnitude of perturbation. The calculated values of leptonic decay widths for 1s state are in very good agreement with the experimental data both for c and b systems.