Meson Propagation Research Articles

Searching for CPT violation with neutral-meson oscillations

A general technique is presented for treating CPT violation in neutral-meson oscillations. The effective field theory for a complex scalar with CPT-violating operators of arbitrary mass dimension is incorporated in the formalism for the propagation and mixing of neutral mesons. Observable effects are discussed, and first measurements of CPT-violating operators of dimension five are extracted from existing experimental results.

Open-quantum-systems approach to complementarity in neutral-kaon interferometry

In bipartite quantum systems, entanglement correlations between the parties exerts direct influence in the phenomenon of wave-particle duality. This effect has been quantitatively analyzed in the context of two qubits by M. Jakob and J. Bergou [Optics Communications 283(5) (2010) 827]. Employing a description of the $K$-meson propagation in free space where its weak decay states are included as a second party, we study here this effect in the kaon-antikaon oscillations. We show that a new quantitative "triality" relation holds, similar to the one considered by Jakob and Bergou. In our case, it relates the distinguishability between the decay products states corresponding to the distinct kaon propagation modes $K_S $, $K_L $, the amount of wave-like path interference between these states, and the amount of entanglement given by the reduced von Neumann entropy. The inequality can account for the complementarity between strangeness oscillations and lifetime information previously considered in the literature, therefore allowing one to see how it is affected by entanglement correlations. As we will discuss, it allows one to visualize clearly through the $K^{0}$$\overline{K}\,^{0}$ oscillations the fundamental role of entanglement in quantum complementarity.

Heavy Hadrons in Dense Matter

We study the behavior of dynamically-generated baryon resonances with heavy- quark content within a unitarized coupled-channel theory in matter that fulfills heavy-quark spin symmetry constraints. We analyze the implications for the formation of charmed mesic nuclei and the propagation of heavy mesons in heavy-ion collisions from RHIC to FAIR.

Open bottom states and theB¯-meson propagation in hadronic matter

The interaction and propagation of anti-B mesons with light mesons, N and Delta baryons is studied within a unitarized approach based on effective models that are compatible with chiral and heavy-quark symmetries. We find several heavy-quark spin doublets in the open-bottom sectors, where anti-B and anti-B* mesons are present. In the meson sector we find several resonant states, among them, a B0 and a B1 with masses 5530 MeV and 5579 MeV as well as Bs0* and Bs1* narrow states at 5748 MeV and 5799 MeV, respectively. They form two doublets with no experimental identification yet, the first one being the bottom counterpart of the D0(2400) and D1(2430) states, and the second bottom doublet associated to the ubiquitous Ds0* (2317) and the Ds1 (2460). In the baryon sector, several Lambda_b and Sigma_b doublets are identified, among them the one given by the experimental Lambda_b(5910) and Lambda*_b(5921). Moreover, one of our states, the Sigma_b*(5904), turns out to be the bottom counterpart of the Sigma*(1670) and Sigma_c*(2549), which is a case for discovery. We finally analyze different transport coefficients for the anti-B meson in hot matter, such as formed in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC. For RHIC/LHC energies, the main contribution to the coefficients comes from the interaction of anti-B mesons with pions. However, we also include the effects of baryonic density which might be sizable at temperatures T < 100 MeV, as the chemical potential is expected to increase in the last stages of the expansion. We conclude that although the relaxation time decreases with larger baryonic densities, the anti-B meson does not thermalize at RHIC/LHC energies, representing an ideal probe for the initial bottom distribution.

Chiral dynamics in a magnetic field from the functional renormalization group

We investigate the quark-meson model in a magnetic field using the exact functional renormalization group equation beyond the local-potential approximation. Our truncation of the effective action involves anisotropic wave function renormalization for mesons, which allows us to investigate how the magnetic field distorts the propagation of neutral mesons. Solving the flow equation numerically, we find that the transverse velocity of mesons decreases with the magnetic field at all temperatures, which is most prominent at zero temperature. The meson screening masses and the pion decay constants are also computed. The constituent quark mass is found to increase with magnetic field at all temperatures, resulting in the crossover temperature that increases monotonically with the magnetic field. This tendency is consistent with most model calculations but not with the lattice simulation performed at the physical point. Our work suggests that the strong anisotropy of meson propagation may not be the fundamental origin of the inverse magnetic catalysis.

Propagation of photons and massive vector mesons between a parity breaking medium and vacuum

The problem of propagation of photons and massive vector mesons in the presence of Lorenz and CPT invariance violating medium is studied when the parity-odd medium is bounded by a hyperplane separating it from the vacuum. The solutions in both half-spaces are carefully discussed and in the case of space-like boundary stitched on the boundary with help of the Bogolubov transformations provided by the space-like Chern-Simons vector. The presence of two different Fock vacua is shown and the probability amplitude for transmission of particles from vacuum to parity breaking medium is calculated. We have also found classical solutions and showed that the results are consistent with ones obtained by canonical quantization formalism. In the cases, both of entrance to and of escaping from parity-odd medium, the probabilities for reflecting and passing through were found for each polarization using the classical solutions. Finally, the propagator for each polarization is obtained in the momentum space. Boundary effects under consideration are of certain importance for registration of local parity violation in the finite volume of heavy ion fireball and/or of a star with cold axion condensate.

A note on the velocity of holographic long-lived mesons

We study fluctuations of a U(1) gauge field on the worldvolume of Nf probe D7-branes in the background of Nc black D3-branes with a finite baryon density. The choice of mode corresponds to vector mesons in the dual gauge theory whose mass and lifetime can be determined by a study of the quasinormal modes. The speed of propagation of these holographic mesons at large momenta is studied from the dispersion relations of the quasinormal modes of the system.

New experimental and simulated results on nuclear media effects in meson photoproduction off nuclei

New experimental approach to study meson photoproduction in nuclei is discussed. It is based on the measurement of the recoil nucleon as a tagger for identification of the initial step of reaction. Propagation of mesons and nucleons within a nucleus is described by the Intra-Nuclear Cascade (INC) model. Simulations and preliminary experimental data for the deuteron target obtained at GRAAL are presented.

Scalar and vector meson propagation in asymmetric nuclear matter

The propagation of the scalar (σ and δ) and vector (ω and ρ) mesons in an iso-asymmetric nuclear matter is studied in detail, using the Walecka model. We calculate the invariant masses and spectral functions of the mesons, including the effect of meson mixing. At finite density, the mixing effect is quite important in the propagation of the scalar and (longitudinal) vector mesons. In the σ channel, we find a three-peak structure in the spectral function, caused by the mixing effect.

Dilepton production at SIS energies

In this short review the results of detailed studies for dilepton production from p+A andA+A reactions at SIS energies are presented. The calculations are based on a semi-classical BUU transport model that includes the off-shell propagation of vector mesons and evaluates the width of the vector mesons dynamically. Different scenarios of in-medium modifications of vector mesons, such as collisional broadening and dropping vector meson masses, are investigated and the possibilities for an experimental observation of in-medium effects in p+A reactions at 1–4 GeV are discussed for a variety of nuclear targets.

π+π−emission from coherentρ0propagation in nuclei

Cross sections for the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ events arising from the decay of the ${\ensuremath{\rho}}^{0}$ meson have been calculated. This \ensuremath{\rho} meson is considered to be produced coherently in the $(p,{p}^{'})$ reaction in a nucleus. The distorted-wave functions for the continuum particles and the \ensuremath{\rho} meson propagator are described by the eikonal form. The sensitivity of the cross section to the pion emission angle as well as to the beam energy has been investigated. The cross sections for the ${\ensuremath{\rho}}^{0}$ meson decaying inside and outside the nucleus are compared. In addition, the coherent and incoherent contributions to the cross section due to ${\ensuremath{\rho}}^{0}$ inside and outside decay amplitudes are presented. The initial- and final-state interactions for this reaction have been studied. The nuclear medium effect on ${\ensuremath{\rho}}^{0}$-meson propagation through the nucleus is also explored.

ϕ Meson Propagation and Decay at Finite Temperature

We study spectral properties of the phi meson at finite temperature using an effective Lagrangian together with finite-temperature field theory as a basis for modeling. General field-theoretic arguments are then used to establish the lifetime of the phi in hot hadronic matter. We find from the model, and we therefore propose a scenario in which, the phi decays inside the fireball. Early decays into $\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ occur at high temperature while measurable hadronic decays into $K^{+}K^{-}$ (not suffering rescattering) occur at freezeout, where flow could be substantial. These results provide a consistent picture, if not possible interpretation of the NA49 and NA50 data from CERN.

Formula omitted] meson propagation in dense nuclear matter and collective excitations

The bosonic excitations induced by the ω meson propagation in dense nuclear matter is studied within the framework of random phase approximation. The collective modes are then analyzed by finding the zeros of the relevant dielectric functions. Subsequently we present closed form analytical expressions for the dispersion relations in different kinematical regime. Next, the analytical behaviour of the in-medium effective propagator for the ω meson is examined. This is exploited to calculate the full spectral function for the transverse ( T) and longitudinal ( L) mode of the ω meson. In addition, various sum rules are constructed for the ω meson spectral density in nuclear medium. Results are then discussed by calculating the residues at the poles and discontinuities across the cuts.

Aspects of meson properties in dense nuclear matter

We investigate the modification of meson spectral densities in dense nuclear matter at zero temperature. These effects are studied in a fully relativistic mean field model which goes beyond the linear density approximation and also includes baryon resonances. In particular, the role of N*(1520) and N*(1720) on the rho meson spectral density is highlighted. Even though the nucleon-nucleon loop and the nucleon-resonance loop contribute with the opposite sign, an overall reduction of rho meson mass is still observed at high density. Importantly, it is shown that the resonances cause substantial broadening of the rho meson spectral density in matter and also induces non-trivial momentum dependence. The spectral density of the a0 meson is also shown. We study the dispersion relations and collective oscillations induced by the rho meson propagation in nuclear matter together with the influence of the mixing of rho with the a0 meson. The relevant expression for the plasma frequency is also recovered analytically in the appropriate limit.

Propagation of mesons in asymmetric nuclear matter in a density-dependent coupling model

We study the propagation of the light mesons σ,ω,ρ, and a0(980) in dense hadronic matter in an extended derivative scalar coupling model. Within the scheme proposed it is possible to unambiguously define effective density-dependent couplings at the Lagrangian level. We first apply the model to study asymmetric nuclear matter with fixed isospin asymmetry, and then we pay particular attention to hypermatter in β-equilibrium. The equation of state and the potential contribution to the symmetry coefficient arising from the mean-field approximation are investigated.

ρ/ω properties from dilepton spectra in pA reactions at 12 GeV

The dilepton production from $pC$ and $pCu$ collisions at $T_{lab}=12$ GeV is calculated using the semi-classical BUU transport model, that includes the off-shell propagation of vector mesons nonperturbatively and calculates the width of the vector mesons dynamically. It is found that the collisional broadening of the vector meson width and dropping vector meson masses lead to a small enhancement of the dilepton yield below the $\omega$ meson mass pole in $p Cu$ collisions compared to $p C$, which is, however, not sufficient to explain the enhanced production of dileptons as observed in the experiment by the KEK-PS E325 collaboration. It is argued that such in-medium effects are expected to be small due to kinematical reasons -- the dominant part of vector mesons radiate dileptons and decay outside the nucleus due to the finite formation time for $\rho$ and $\omega$ mesons, which is large by Lorentz covariance since the produced vector mesons move with high velocity relative to the target nucleus.

E +e − production in p A reactions at SIS energies

Detailed predictions for dilepton production from p A reactions at SIS energies are presented within a semiclassical BUU transport model that includes the off-shell propagation of vector mesons nonperturbatively and calculates the width of the vector mesons dynamically. Different scenarios of in-medium modifications of vector mesons, such as collisional broadening and dropping vector-meson masses, are investigated and the possibilities for an experimental observation of in-medium effects in p A reactions at 1–4 GeV are discussed for a variety of nuclear targets.

Coherence effects in diffractive electroproduction of [formula omitted] mesons from nuclei

A systematic multiple scattering formalism for vector meson electroproduction from nuclei is developed, with emphasis on the formation, propagation and hadronization scales for quark–gluon fluctuations of the virtual high-energy photon. The theory is compared to HERMES measurements of ρ electroproduction on 14N. The nuclear transparency as a function of the vector meson propagation length is well reproduced.

E+e−pairs fromπ−Areactions reexamined

We calculate dilepton production for the reactions $\pi^-$C and $\pi^-$Pb at 1.3 GeV within a semi-classical BUU transport model and compare our results to a previously published calculation. We show that a modified treatment of the $\rho$-meson production and propagation gives substantially different results. We, furthermore, discuss uncertainties related to the electromagnetic decay of the $\rho$-meson and the elementary $\pi^- N \to e^+ e^- X$ channels.

σ and ω meson propagation in a dense nuclear medium

The propagation of the scalar ( σ) and vector ( ω) mesons in nuclear matter is studied in detail using the Walecka model over a wide range of densities and including the effects of a finite σ width through the inclusion of a two-pion loop. We calculate the dispersion relation and spectral functions of the σ and (transverse and longitudinal) ω mesons, including the effect of σ- ω mixing in matter. It is shown that the mixing effect is quite important in the propagation of the (longitudinal) ω and σ mesons above normal nuclear matter density. We find that there is a two-peak structure in the spectral function of the σ channel, caused by σ- ω mixing.