Low-energy Theorems Research Articles

Anomalous dimensions via on-shell methods: Operator mixing and leading mass effects

We elaborate on the application of on shell and unitarity-based methods for evaluating renormalization group coefficients, and generalize this framework to account for the mixing of operators with different dimensions and leading mass effects. We derive a master formula for anomalous dimensions stemming from the general structure of operator mixings, up to two-loop order, and show how the Higgs low-energy theorem can be exploited to include leading mass effects. A few applications on the renormalization properties of popular effective field theories showcase the strength of the proposed approach, which drastically reduces the complexity of standard loop calculations. Our results provide a powerful tool to interpret experimental measurements of low-energy observables, such as flavor violating processes or electric and magnetic dipole moments, as induced by new physics emerging above the electroweak scale. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Low-energy theorem revisited and OPE in massless QCD

We revisit a low-energy theorem (LET) of NSVZ type in SU(N) QCD with Nf massless quarks derived in [1] by implementing it in dimensional regularization. The LET relates n-point correlators in the l.h.s. to n + 1-point correlators with the extra insertion of TrF2 at zero momentum in the r.h.s. We demonstrate that, for 2-point correlators of an operator O in the l.h.s., the LET implies that, in general, the integrated 3-point correlator in the r.h.s. needs in perturbation theory an infinite additive renormalization in addition to the multiplicative one. We relate the above counterterm to a corresponding divergent contact term in a certain coefficient of the OPE of TrF2 with O in the momentum representation, thus extending to any operator O an independent argument that first appeared for O = TrF2 in [2]. Finally, we demonstrate that in the asymptotically free phase of QCD the aforementioned counterterm in the LET is actually finite nonperturbatively after resummation to all perturbative orders. We also briefly recall the implications of the LET in the gauge-invariant framework of dimensional regularization for the perturbative and nonperturbative renormalization in large-N QCD. The implications of the LET inside and above the conformal window of SU(N) QCD with Nf massless quarks will appear in a forthcoming paper.

Low-energy theorems and linearity breaking in anomalous amplitudes

This study seeks a better comprehension of anomalies by exploring (n+1)-point perturbative amplitudes in a 2n-dimensional framework. The involved structures combine axial and vector vertices into odd tensors. This configuration enables diverse expressions, considered identities at the integrand level. However, connecting them is not automatic after loop integration, as the divergent nature of amplitudes links to surface terms. The background to this subject is the conflict between the linearity of integration and the translational invariance observed in the context of anomalies. That prohibits the simultaneous satisfaction of all symmetry and linearity properties, constraints that arise through Ward identities and relations among Green functions. Using the method known as Implicit Regularization, we show that trace choices are a means to select the amount of anomaly contributions appearing in each symmetry relation. Such an idea appeared through recipes to take traces in recent works, but we introduce a more complete view. We also emphasize low-energy theorems of finite amplitudes as the source of these violations, proving that the total amount of anomaly remains fixed regardless of any choices.

Low-Energy Theorems for Neutron–Proton Scattering in χ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\chi $$\\end{document}EFT Using a Perturbative Power Counting

Low-energy theorems (LETs) for effective-range parameters in nucleon-nucleon scattering encode properties of the long-range part of the nuclear force. We compute LETs for S-wave neutron–proton scattering using chiral effective field theory with a modified version of Weinberg power counting. Corrections to the leading order amplitude are included in distorted-wave perturbation theory and we incorporate contributions up to the third order in the power counting. We find that LETs in the 1S0\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^1S_0$$\\end{document} and 3S1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^3S_1$$\\end{document} partial waves agree well with empirical effective-range parameters. At the same time, phase shifts up to laboratory scattering energies of about 100 MeV can be reproduced. We show that it is important to consider the pion mass splitting in the one-pion exchange potential in the 1S0\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^1S_0$$\\end{document} partial wave while the effect is negligible in the 3S1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^3S_1$$\\end{document} partial wave. We conclude that pion exchanges, as treated in this power counting, accurately describe the long-range part of the S-wave nuclear interaction.

On the two-loop BSM corrections to h⟶γγ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$h\\longrightarrow \\gamma \\gamma $$\\end{document} in the aligned THDM

We compute the two-loop BSM contributions to the h⟶γγ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$h\\longrightarrow \\gamma \\gamma $$\\end{document} decay width in the aligned THDM. We adopt the simplifying assumptions of vanishing EW gauge couplings and vanishing mass of the SM-like Higgs boson, which allow us to exploit a low-energy theorem connecting the hγγ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$h\\gamma \\gamma $$\\end{document} amplitude to the derivative of the photon self-energy w.r.t. the Higgs field. We briefly discuss the numerical impact of the newly-computed contributions, showing that they may be required for a precise determination of Γ[h→γγ]\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\Gamma [h\\rightarrow \\gamma \\gamma ]$$\\end{document} in scenarios where the quartic Higgs couplings are large.

Consistent Theory of Kinetic Mixing and the Higgs Low-Energy Theorem.

Extensions of the standard model of particle physics with new Abelian gauge groups allow for kinetic mixing between the new gauge bosons and the hypercharge gauge boson, resulting in mixing with the photon. In many models, the mixing with the hypercharge gauge boson captures only part of the kinetic mixing term with the photon, since the new gauge bosons can also mix with the neutral component of the SU(2)_{L} gauge bosons. We take these contributions into account and present a consistent description of kinetic mixing for general Abelian gauge groups both in the electroweak symmetric and the broken phase. We identify an effective operator that captures the kinetic mixing with SU(2)_{L} and demonstrate how renormalizable contributions arise if the charged fields only obtain their masses from electroweak symmetry breaking. For the first time, a low-energy theorem for the couplings of novel Abelian gauge bosons with the standard model Higgs boson is derived from the one-loop kinetic mixing amplitudes.

Dispersive analysis of the Primakoff reaction gamma K rightarrow K pi

We provide a dispersion-theoretical representation of the reaction amplitudes gamma Krightarrow K pi in all charge channels, based on modern pion–kaon P-wave phase shift input. Crossed-channel singularities are fixed from phenomenology as far as possible. We demonstrate how the subtraction constants can be matched to a low-energy theorem and radiative couplings of the K^*(892) resonances, thereby providing a model-independent framework for future analyses of high-precision kaon Primakoff data.

Gauge-covariant Diagonalization of \(\pi a_1\) Mixing and the Resolution of a Low-energy Theorem

Using a recently proposed gauge covariant diagonalization of $\pi a_1$-mixing we show that the low energy theorem $F^{\pi}=e f_\pi^2 F^{3\pi}$ of current algebra, relating the anomalous form factor $F_{\gamma \to \pi^+\pi^0\pi^-} = F^{3\pi}$ and the anomalous neutral pion form factor $F_{\pi^0 \to \gamma\gamma}=F^\pi$, is fulfilled in the framework of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model, solving a long standing problem encountered in the extension including vector and axial-vector mesons. At the heart of the solution is the presence of a $\gamma \pi {\bar q} q $ vertex which is absent in the conventional treatment of diagonalization and leads to a deviation from the vector meson dominance (VMD) picture. It contributes to a gauge invariant anomalous tri-axial (AAA) vertex as a pure surface term.

Account for axial vector mesons in theη→π+π−γandη′→π+π−γdecays

The rates and spectra of the anomalous $\eta\to\pi^+\pi^-\gamma$ and $\eta' \to\pi^+\pi^-\gamma$ decays are calculated. The approach is based on the effective meson Lagrangian obtained in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with vector and axial-vector mesons by integrating out quark fields. The resulting action is affected by mixing between members of pseudoscalar $J^{PC}=0^{-+}$ and axial-vector $1^{++}$ nonets that violates some low-energy theorems. In this note we point out that a gauge covariant procedure to diagonalize this mixing allows for consistent description of the $\eta\to\pi^+\pi^-\gamma$ and $\eta' \to\pi^+\pi^-\gamma$ decays.

Anomaly matching in the symmetry broken phase: Domain walls, CPT, and the Smith isomorphism

Symmetries in Quantum Field Theory may have ’t Hooft anomalies. If the symmetry is unbroken in the vacuum, the anomaly implies a nontrivial low-energy limit, such as gapless modes or a topological field theory. If the symmetry is spontaneously broken, for the continuous case, the anomaly implies low-energy theorems about certain couplings of the Goldstone modes. Here we study the case of spontaneously broken discrete symmetries, such as \mathbb{Z}_2ℤ2 and TT. Symmetry breaking leads to domain walls, and the physics of the domain walls is constrained by the anomaly. We investigate how the physics of the domain walls leads to a matching of the original discrete anomaly. We analyze the symmetry structure on the domain wall, which requires a careful analysis of some properties of the unbreakable CPTCPT symmetry. We demonstrate the general results on some examples and we explain in detail the mod 4 periodic structure that arises in the \mathbb{Z}_2ℤ2 and TT case. This gives a physical interpretation for the Smith isomorphism, which we also extend to more general abelian groups. We show that via symmetry breaking and the analysis of the physics on the wall, the computations of certain discrete anomalies are greatly simplified. Using these results we perform new consistency checks on the infrared phases of 2+12+1 dimensional QCD.

All-multiplicity one-loop amplitudes in Born-Infeld electrodynamics from generalized unitarity

We initiate a study of non-supersymmetric Born-Infeld electrodynamics in 4d at the quantum level. Explicit all-multiplicity expressions are calculated for the purely rational one-loop amplitudes in the self-dual (+ + … +) and next-to-self-dual (− + … +) helicity sectors. Using a supersymmetric decomposition, d-dimensional unitarity cuts of the integrand factorize into tree-amplitudes in a 4d model of Born-Infeld photons coupled to a massive complex scalar. The two-scalar tree-amplitudes needed to construct the Born-Infeld integrand are computed using two complimentary approaches: (1) as a double-copy of Yang-Mills coupled to a massive adjoint scalar with a dimensionally reduced form of Chiral Perturbation Theory, and (2) by imposing consistency with low-energy theorems under a reduction from 4d to 3d and T-duality. The Born-Infeld integrand is integrated in d = 4 − 2ϵ dimensions at order mathcal{O}left({in}^0right) using the dimension-shifting formalism. We comment on the implications for electromagnetic duality in quantum Born-Infeld theory.

Low-energy theorem forγ→3π: Surface terms againstπa1mixing

We reconsider the contribution due to $\pi a_1$-mixing to the anomalous $\gamma\to\pi^+\pi^0\pi^-$ amplitude from the standpoint of the low-energy theorem $F^{\pi}=e f_\pi^2 F^{3\pi}$, which relates the electromagnetic form factor $F_{\pi^0\to\gamma\gamma}=F^\pi$ with the form factor $F_{\gamma\to\pi^+\pi^0\pi^-}=F^{3\pi}$ both taken at vanishing momenta of mesons. Our approach is based on a recently proposed covariant diagonalization of $\pi a_1$-mixing within a standard effective QCD-inspired meson Lagrangian obtained in the framework of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. We show that the two surface terms appearing in the calculation of the anomalous triangle quark diagrams or AVV- and AAA-type amplitudes are uniquely fixed by this theorem. As a result, both form factors $F^\pi$ and $F^{3\pi}$ are not affected by the $\pi a_1$-mixing, but the concept of vector meson dominance (VMD) fails for $\gamma\to\pi^+\pi^0\pi^-$.

Hadronic vacuum polarization: three-pion channel

The 3π-channel contribution to hadronic vacuum polarization (HVP) in the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon (g−2)µ is examined based on a dispersive representation of the γ* → 3π amplitude. This decay amplitude is reconstructed from dispersion relations, fulfilling the low-energy theorem of QCD. The global fit function is applied to the data sets of the 3π channel below 1.8 GeV, which constitutes the secondlargest exclusive contribution to HVP and its uncertainty. The dominant ωand φ-peak regions in the e+e− → 3π cross section as well as the non-resonant regions are precisely described to obtain our best estimate. The final result, $ a_\mu ^{3\pi }\left| { \le 1.8\,{\rm{GeV}}\,{\rm{ = }}\,{\rm{46}}{\rm{.2(6)(6)}} \times {\rm{1}}{{\rm{0}}^{ - 10}}} \right. $, reduces the model dependence owing to the fundamental principles of analyticity and unitarity and provides a cross check for the compatibility of the different e+e− → 3π data sets. A combination of the current analysis and the recent similar treatment of the 2π channel yields a dispersive determination of almost 80% of the entire HVP contribution. Our analysis reaffirms the muon anomaly at 3.4σ level, when the rest of the contributions is taken from the literature.

New Insight in the Q^{2} Dependence of Proton Generalized Polarizabilities.

Virtual Compton scattering on the proton has been investigated at three yet unexplored values of the four-momentum transfer Q^{2}: 0.10, 0.20, and 0.45 GeV^{2}, at the Mainz Microtron. Fits performed using either the low-energy theorem or dispersion relations allowed the extraction of the structure functions P_{LL}-P_{TT}/ε and P_{LT}, as well as the electric and magnetic generalized polarizabilities α_{E1}(Q^{2}) and β_{M1}(Q^{2}). These new results show a smooth and rapid falloff of α_{E1}(Q^{2}), in contrast to previous measurements at Q^{2}=0.33 GeV^{2}, and provide for the first time a precise mapping of β_{M1}(Q^{2}) in the low-Q^{2} region.

Low Energy Theorem for Kaon Photoproduction

We study the Low Energy Theorem (LET) for kaon photoproduction at threshold region. To this end we expand the transition amplitude in terms of the kaon mass and the averaged mass of nucleon and Λ-hyperon. The background amplitudes are obtained from the appropriate Feynman diagrams. The amplitudes have been so far expanded up to the 3th order.

Novel implementation of the multipole expansion to quarkonium hadronic transitions

We compute hadronic transitions between heavy quarkonium states with two, or one, pion/eta particles in the final state. We use the multipole expansion but not the twist expansion. The latter cannot be justified for the energy release of hadronic transitions between heavy quarkonium states with different principal quantum numbers. Instead, we use a counting based on the dimension of the interpolating field of the hybrid. This alternative counting allows us to still use chiral low-energy theorems to compute the pion production by local gluonic operators. We explore the phenomenological impact of this counting. Remarkably enough, for the two-pion transitions, we obtain the same predictions for the normalized differential decay rate as those obtained assuming the twist expansion. We implement this computational scheme using the hadronic representation of the effective theory potential NRQCD. We assume that the inverse Bohr radius of the heavy quarkonium is much larger than $\Lambda_{\rm QCD}$ but do not impose any constraint on the relative size of $\Lambda_{\rm QCD}$ and the typical kinetic energy of the bound state.

Three-pion contribution to hadronic vacuum polarization

We address the contribution of the 3π channel to hadronic vacuum polarization (HVP) using a dispersive representation of the e+e− → 3π amplitude. This channel gives the second-largest individual contribution to the total HVP integral in the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon (g − 2)μ, both to its absolute value and uncertainty. It is largely dominated by the narrow resonances ω and ϕ, but not to the extent that the off-peak regions were negligible, so that at the level of accuracy relevant for (g − 2)μ an analysis of the available data as model independent as possible becomes critical. Here, we provide such an analysis based on a global fit function using analyticity and unitarity of the underlying γ∗ → 3π amplitude and its normalization from a chiral low-energy theorem, which, in particular, allows us to check the internal consistency of the various e+e− → 3π data sets. Overall, we obtain {a}_{mu}^{3pi } |≤1.8 GeV = 46.2(6)(6) × 10−10 as our best estimate for the total 3π contribution consistent with all (low-energy) constraints from QCD. In combination with a recent dispersive analysis imposing the same constraints on the 2π channel below 1 GeV, this covers nearly 80% of the total HVP contribution, leading to {a}_{mu}^{mathrm{HVP}} = 692.3(3.3) × 10−10 when the remainder is taken from the literature, and thus reaffirming the (g−2)μ anomaly at the level of at least 3.4σ. As side products, we find for the vacuum-polarization-subtracted masses Mω = 782.63(3)(1) MeV and Mϕ = 1019.20(2)(1) MeV, confirming the tension to the ω mass as extracted from the 2π channel.

Gravitational form factors of light mesons

We calculate the gravitational form factors of the pion, sigma meson, and rho meson in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model of quantum chromodynamics. The canonical energy-momentum tensor (EMT) is used in their derivation, allowing the possibility of an antisymmetric contribution when the hadron has intrinsic spin. We show that the asymmetric graviton vertex arising from the canonical EMT satisfies a simpler Ward-Takahashi identity (WTI) than the symmetric graviton vertex of the Belinfante EMT. The necessity of fully dressing the graviton vertex through the relevant Bethe-Salpeter equation is demonstrated for observing both the WTI and a low-energy pion theorem. Lastly, we calculate static moments of the meson EMT decompositions, obtaining predictions for the meson mass radii. We find light cone mass radii of 0.27 fm for the pion, 0.32 fm for the sigma, and 0.25 fm for the rho. For the pion and rho, these are smaller than the light cone charge radii, respectively 0.51 fm and 0.45 fm, while we have a sigma charge radius of zero. Our light cone pion mass radius agrees with a phenomenological extraction from KEKB data.

Nature of the D0* meson in Dπ scattering with chiral symmetry

We study the nature of the scalar D_0 meson from the viewpoint of chiral symmetry. With the linear representation of chiral symmetry, we construct the D pi scattering amplitude satisfying the chiral low-energy theorem, in which the D_0 meson appears as an s-wave resonance. We show that the properties of the D_0 meson can be successfully reproduced as the chiral partner of the D meson coupled with the D pi scattering states. At the same time, we find that the spectral function and the pole position of D_0 are not very sensitive to the reduction of the chiral condensate, indicating the importance of the dressing of the bare state by the D pi molecular component.

Nucleon Matrix Elements of the Antisymmetric Quark Tensor.

If physics beyond the standard model enters well above the electroweak scale, its low-energy effects are described by standard model effective field theory. Already, at dimension 6, many operators involve the antisymmetric quark tensor q[over ¯]σ^{μν}q, whose matrix elements are difficult to constrain from experiment, Ward identities, or low-energy theorems, in contrast to the corresponding vector and axial-vector or even scalar and pseudoscalar currents. However, with normalizations determined from lattice QCD, analyticity and unitarity often allow one to predict the momentum dependence in a large kinematic range. Starting from recent results in the meson sector, we extend this method to the nucleon case and, in combination with pole dominance, provide a comprehensive assessment of the current status of the nucleon form factors of the quark tensor.