Pion Cloud Effects Research Articles

Combined parametrization of GEn and $\gamma^{\ast} N \rightarrow \Delta (1232)$γ*N→Δ(1232) quadrupole form factors

Models based on $SU(6)$ symmetry breaking and large $N_c$ limit provide relations between the pion cloud contributions to the $\gamma^\ast N \to \Delta(1232)$ quadrupole form factors, electric ($G_E$) and Coulomb ($G_C$), and the neutron electric form factor $G_{En}$, suggesting that those form factors are dominated by the same physical processes. Those relations are improved in order to satisfy a fundamental constraint between the electric and Coulomb quadrupole form factors in the long wavelength limit, when the photon three-momentum vanishes (Siegert's theorem). Inspired by those relations, we study alternative parametrizations for the neutron electric form factor. The parameters of the new form are then determined by a combined fit to the $G_{En}$ and the $\gamma^\ast N \to \Delta(1232)$ quadrupole form factor data. We obtain a very good description of the $G_E$ and $G_C$ data when we combine the pion cloud contributions with small valence quark contributions to the $\gamma^\ast N \to \Delta(1232)$ quadrupole form factors. The best description of the data is obtained when the second momentum of $G_{En}$ is $r_n^4 \simeq -0.4$ fm$^4$. We conclude that the square radii associated with $G_E$ and $G_C$, $r_E^2$ and $r_C^2$, respectively, are large, revealing the long extension of the pion cloud. We conclude also that those square radii are related by $r_E^2 - r_C^2 = 0.6 \pm 0.2$ fm$^2$. The last result is mainly the consequence of the pion cloud effects and Siegert's theorem.

Electroexcitation of the Δ+(1232) at low momentum transfer

We report on new p$(e,e^\prime p)\pi^\circ$ measurements at the $\Delta^{+}(1232)$ resonance at the low momentum transfer region. The mesonic cloud dynamics is predicted to be dominant and rapidly changing in this kinematic region offering a test bed for chiral effective field theory calculations. The new data explore the low $Q^2$ dependence of the resonant quadrupole amplitudes while extending the measurements of the Coulomb quadrupole amplitude to the lowest momentum transfer ever reached. The results disagree with predictions of constituent quark models and are in reasonable agreement with dynamical calculations that include pion cloud effects, chiral effective field theory and lattice calculations. The reported measurements suggest that improvement is required to the theoretical calculations and provide valuable input that will allow their refinements.

Nucleon polarisabilities at and beyond physical pion masses

We examine the results of Chiral Effective Field Theory ($\chi$EFT) for the scalar- and spin-dipole polarisabilities of the proton and neutron, both for the physical pion mass and as a function of $m_\pi$. This provides chiral extrapolations for lattice-QCD polarisability computations. We include both the leading and sub-leading effects of the nucleon's pion cloud, as well as the leading ones of the $\Delta(1232)$ resonance and its pion cloud. The analytic results are complete at N$^2$LO in the $\delta$-counting for pion masses close to the physical value, and at leading order for pion masses similar to the Delta-nucleon mass splitting. In order to quantify the truncation error of our predictions and fits as $68$\% degree-of-belief intervals, we use a Bayesian procedure recently adapted to EFT expansions. At the physical point, our predictions for the spin polarisabilities are, within respective errors, in good agreement with alternative extractions using experiments and dispersion-relation theory. At larger pion masses we find that the chiral expansion of all polarisabilities becomes intrinsically unreliable as $m_\pi$ approaches about $300\;$MeV---as has already been seen in other observables. $\chi$EFT also predicts a substantial isospin splitting above the physical point for both the electric and magnetic scalar polarisabilities; and we speculate on the impact this has on the stability of nucleons. Our results agree very well with emerging lattice computations in the realm where $\chi$EFT converges. Curiously, for the central values of some of our predictions, this agreement persists to much higher pion masses. We speculate on whether this might be more than a fortuitous coincidence.

Pion cloud effects on baryon masses

In this work we explore the effect of pion cloud contributions to the mass of the nucleon and the Δ baryon. To this end we solve a coupled system of Dyson–Schwinger equations for the quark propagator, a Bethe–Salpeter equation for the pion and a three-body Faddeev equation for the baryons. In the quark–gluon interaction we explicitly resolve the term responsible for the back-coupling of the pion onto the quark, representing rainbow-ladder like pion cloud effects in bound states. We study the dependence of the resulting baryon masses on the current quark mass and discuss the internal structure of the baryons in terms of a partial wave decomposition. We furthermore determine values for the nucleon and Δ sigma-terms.

Beyond Rainbow-Ladder in a covariant three-body Bethe-Salpeter approach: Baryons

We report on recent results of a calculation of the nucleon and delta masses in a covariant bound-state approach, where to the simple rainbow-ladder gluon-exchange interaction kernel we add a pion-exchange contribution to account for pion cloud effects. We observe good agreement with lattice data at large pion masses. At the physical point our masses are too large by about five percent, signaling the need for more structure in the gluon part of the interaction.

Measurements of the γ*p → Δ reaction at low Q2

We report new p$(\vec{e},e^\prime p)\pi^\circ$ measurements in the $\Delta^{+}(1232)$ resonance at the low momentum transfer region utilizing the magnetic spectrometers of the A1 Collaboration at MAMI. The mesonic cloud dynamics are predicted to be dominant and appreciably changing in this region while the momentum transfer is sufficiently low to be able to test chiral effective calculations. The results disagree with predictions of constituent quark models and are in reasonable agreement with dynamical calculations with pion cloud effects, chiral effective field theory and lattice calculations. The reported measurements suggest that improvement is required to the theoretical calculations and provide valuable input that will allow their refinements.

Octet to decuplet electromagnetic transition in a relativistic quark model

We study the octet to decuplet baryon electromagnetic transitions using the covariant spectator quark model, and predict the transition magnetic dipole form factors for those involving the strange baryons. Utilizing SU(3) symmetry, the valence quark contributions are supplemented by the pion cloud dressing based on the one estimated in the $\gamma^\ast N \to \Delta$ reaction. Although the valence quark contributions are dominant in general, the pion cloud effects turn out to be very important to describe the experimental data. We also show that, other mesons besides the pion in particular the kaon, may be relevant for some reactions such as $\gamma^\ast \Sigma^+ \to \Sigma^{*+}$, based on our analysis for the radiative decay widths of the strange decuplet baryons.

Effective Range Corrections from Effective Field Theory with Dibaryon Fields and Perturbative Pions

We discuss a role of dibaryon fields in an effective field theory to study pion cloud effect around the unitary limit of two nucleon systems at low energies.

Covariant spectator quark model description of theγ*Λ→Σ0transition

We study the $\gamma^\ast \Lambda \to \Sigma^0$ transition form factors by applying the covariant spectator quark model. Using the parametrization for the baryon core wave functions as well as for the pion cloud dressing obtained in a previous work, we calculate the dependence on the momentum transfer squared, $Q^2$, of the electromagnetic transition form factors. The magnetic form factor is dominated by the valence quark contributions. The final result for the transition magnetic moment, a combination of the quark core and pion cloud effects, turns out to give a value very close to the data. The pion cloud contribution, although small, pulls the final result towards the experimental value The final result, $\mu_{\Lambda\Sigma^0}= -1.486 \mu_N$, is about one and a half standard deviations from the central value in PDG, $\mu_{\Lambda\Sigma^0}= -1.61 \pm 0.08 \mu_N$. Thus, a modest improvement in the statistics of the experiment would permit the confirmation or rejection of the present result. It is also predicted that small but nonzero values for the electric form factor in the finite $Q^2$ region, as a consequence of the pion cloud dressing.

Nucleon to delta electromagnetic transition in the Dyson-Schwinger approach

We study the N-Delta-gamma transition in the Dyson-Schwinger approach. The nucleon and Delta baryons are treated as quark-diquark bound states, where the ingredients of the electromagnetic transition current are computed self-consistently from the underlying dynamics in QCD. Although our approach does not include pion-cloud effects, we find that the electric and Coulomb quadrupole form-factor ratios R_EM and R_SM show good agreement with experimental data. This implies that the deformation from a spherical charge distribution inside both baryons can be traced back to the appearance of p waves in the nucleon and Delta bound-state amplitudes which are a consequence of Poincare covariance. On the other hand, the dominant transition amplitude, i.e. the magnetic dipole transition form factor, underestimates the data by ~25% in the static limit whereas agreement is achieved at larger momentum transfer, which is consistent with missing pion-cloud contributions. We furthermore find that the static properties of the form factors are not very sensitive to a variation of the current-quark mass.

From quarks and gluons to baryon form factors

I briefly summarize recent results for nucleon and Δ(1232) electromagnetic, axial and transition form factors in the Dyson–Schwinger approach. The calculation of the current diagrams from the quark–gluon level enables a transparent discussion of common features such as: the implications of dynamical chiral symmetry breaking and quark orbital angular momentum, the timelike structure of the form factors, and their interpretation in terms of missing pion-cloud effects.

Octet baryon electromagnetic form factors in a relativistic quark model

We study the octet baryon electromagnetic properties by applying the covariant spectator quark model, and provide covariant parametrization that can be used to study baryon electromagnetic reactions. While we use the lattice QCD data in the large pion mass regime (small pion cloud effects) to determine the parameters of the model in the valence quark sector, we use the nucleon physical and octet baryon magnetic moment data to parametrize the pion cloud contributions. The valence quark contributions for the octet baryon electromagnetic form factors are estimated by extrapolating the lattice parametrization in the large pion mass regime to the physical regime. As for the pion cloud contributions, we parametrize them in a covariant, phenomenological manner, combined with SU(3) symmetry. We also discuss the impact of the pion cloud effects on the octet baryon electromagnetic form factors and their radii.

Nucleon electromagnetic form factors from the covariant Faddeev equation

We compute the electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon in the Poincare-covariant Faddeev framework based on the Dyson-Schwinger equations of QCD. The general expression for a baryon's electromagnetic current in terms of three interacting dressed quarks is derived. Upon employing a rainbow-ladder gluon-exchange kernel for the quark-quark interaction, the nucleon's Faddeev amplitude and electromagnetic form factors are computed without any further truncations or model assumptions. The form factor results show clear evidence of missing pion-cloud effects below a photon momentum transfer of ~2 GeV^2 and in the chiral region whereas they agree well with experimental data at higher photon momenta. Thus, the approach reflects the properties of the nucleon's quark core.

Volume behavior of quark condensate, pion mass, and decay constant from Dyson-Schwinger equations

We solve the coupled system of Dyson-Schwinger and Bethe-Salpeter equations for the quark propagator and the pion Bethe-Salpeter amplitude on a finite volume. To this end we use a truncation scheme that includes pion cloud effects in the quark propagator and light mesons. We study volume effects in the quark condensate, the pion mass and the pion decay constant and compare to corresponding results in other approaches. In general we find large effects for volumes below V=(1.8 fm)^4.

Probing the Gluon Self-Interaction in Light Mesons

We investigate masses and decay constants of light mesons from a coupled system of Dyson-Schwinger and Bethe-Salpeter equations. We explicitly take into account dominant non-Abelian contributions to the dressed quark-gluon vertex stemming from the gluon self-interaction. We construct the corresponding Bethe-Salpeter kernel that satisfies the axial-vector Ward-Takahashi identity. Our numerical treatment fully includes all momentum dependencies with all equations solved completely in the complex plane. This approach goes well beyond the rainbow-ladder approximation and permits us to investigate the influence of the gluon self-interaction on the properties of mesons. As a first result we find indications of a nonperturbative cancellation of the gluon self-interaction contributions and pion cloud effects in the mass of the rho meson.

Valence quark contribution for theγN→Δquadrupole transition extracted from lattice QCD

Starting with a spectator quark model developed for the nucleon (N) and the Delta in the physical pion mass region, we extend the predictions of the reaction gamma N -> Delta to the lattice QCD regime. The quark model includes S and D waves in the quark-diquark wavefunctions. Within this framework it is the D-wave part in the Delta wavefunction that generates nonzero valence contributions for the quadrupole form factors of the transition. Those contributions are however insufficient to explain the physical data, since the pion cloud contributions dominate. To separate the two effects we apply the model to the lattice regime in a region where the pion cloud effects are negligible, and adjust the D-state parameters directly to the lattice data. This process allows us to obtain a better determination of the D-state contributions. Finally, by adding a simple parametrization of the pion cloud we establish the connection between the experimental data and the lattice data.

Effect of Gluon and Pion Exchanges on Hyperons in Nuclear Matter

A new version of the quark-meson coupling model, in which the effect of gluon and pion exchanges is included self-consistently, is applied to hyperons in a nuclear medium. The hyperfine interaction due to the gluon exchange plays an important role in the in-medium baryon spectra, while the pion-cloud effect is relatively small. At the quark mean-field level, the Λ feels more attractive force than the Σ or Ξ in matter. Subject Index: 211, 214

Quark–meson coupling model with the cloudy bag

Using the volume coupling version of the cloudy bag model, the quark–meson coupling model is extended to study the role of pion field and the properties of nuclear matter. The extended model includes the effect of gluon exchange as well as the pion-cloud effect, and provides a good description of the nuclear matter properties. The relationship between the extended model and the EFT approach to nuclear matter is also discussed.

Hypercentral Constituent Quark Model with a Meson Cloud

The results for the elastic nucleon form factors and the electromagnetic transition amplitudes to the Δ ( 1232 ) resonance, obtained with the Hypercentral Constituent Quark Model with the inclusion of a meson cloud correction are briefly presented. The pion cloud effects are explicitly discussed.

Lowest- Q2 measurement of the γp → Δ reaction: Probing the pionic contribution

To determine nonspherical angular-momentum amplitudes in hadrons at long ranges (low Q2), data were taken for the p(¯e, e'p)π0 reaction in the Δ region at Q 2 = 0.060 (GeV/c)2 utilizing the magnetic spectrometers of the A1 Collaboration at MAMI. The results for the dominant transition magnetic dipole amplitude and the quadrupole to dipole ratios at W = 1232 MeV are $\ensuremath M_{1+}^{3/2}=(40.33 \pm 0.63_{\rm stat+syst} \pm 0.61_{\rm model})(10^{-3}/m_{\pi^+})$ , Re( $\ensuremath E_{1+}^{3/2}/M_{1+}^{3/2})=(-2.28 \pm 0.29_{\rm stat+syst} \pm 0.20_{\rm model}$ )%, and Re( $S_{1+}^{3/2}/M_{1+}^{3/2})\ensuremath =(-4.81 \pm 0.27_{\rm stat+syst} \pm 0.26_{\rm model}$ )%. These disagree with predictions of constituent quark models but are in reasonable agreement with lattice calculations with nonlinear (chiral) pion mass extrapolations, with chiral effective field theory, and with dynamical models with pion cloud effects. These results confirm the dominance, and general Q2 variation, of the pionic contribution at large distances.