Electroweak baryon number violation at finite temperature

We consider baryon and lepton number violating processes in the electroweak theory induced by gauge and Higgs fields passing the sphaleron solution at finite temperature. We show that for temperatures larger than 19 GeV the anomalous baryon and lepton number violating processes are suppressed by the Boltzmann factor exp (?βE _sp), whereE _sp is the sphaleron energy, rather than by the instanton tunneling factor exp (?8π²/g ²). We caculate the rate of baryon and lepton number violating processes at finite temperature and determine the freezing temperature of the anomalous processes in the early universe as a function of the Higgs mass. We compare the freezing temperature with the critical temperature of the electroweak phase transition infered from the one-loop finite-temperature effective potential. We obtain a critical Higgs mass of the order of 100 GeV, slightly depending on the top mass and the magnitude of the pre-exponential factor in the rate of theB non-conservation, above which the anomalous processes are certainly in equilibrium after the electroweak phase transition. Assuming that the temperature-dependence of the sphaleron energy is given by that found from the one-loop finitetemperature effective potential, this critical Higgs mass is lowered to a value of the order of 50 GeV.     

An su (6)w fit to the negative parity baryon decay rates

We present a least squares fit to the experimental data on decays of negative parity baryon resonances into a pseudoscalar meson and either a J^P = 1/2⁺ stable baryon or a J^P = 3/2⁺ decuplet member. We find that the s-waves and d-waves are separately in good agreement with the predictions of SU (6)_w ⊗ O(2)_Lz. Predictions are given regarding several as yet unobserved decay processes, and for those which concern hitherto undetected resonances, their possible detection is discussed.     

Baryons and dual unitarization

Processes involving baryons are discussed in the scheme of dual unitarization. In particular, the topological expansion is generalized to any hadronic S-matrix elements involving baryons and/or mesons. Our expansion is based on a model for the baryon propagator, which is a set of three planar Feynman diagrams joined at a junction line. The resulting expansion is a double expansion in 1/N (N= the number of quark flavours) and in the number of baryon loops. Based on this, several new observations are made in phenomenological problems, and a unifying point of view is stressed. The scheme is evidently crossing invariant, and unitarity constraints are imposed order by order in 1/N and in the baryon loop number.     

Study of J/Ψ three-body decays involving baryons and a pseudoscalar meson in the diquark model

The J/Ψ decay into a baryon pair and a pseudoscalar meson is computed, for some channels, in lowest order in perturbative QCD, modeling the baryon with a quark-diquark system. We use a set of parameters that has been proposed by some authors in order to fit the proton magnetic form factor G _M ^P, the angular distribution of protons in the processes γγ → pp?, γp → γp and the width of η_c → γγ.     

Rate of anomalous electroweak baryon and lepton number violation at finite temperature

Using Langer's statistical theory of the decay of metastable states we calculate the rate of the anomalous electroweak baryon and lepton number violating processes in the case that the electroweak phase transition is of second order. Our formulas are valid in a temperature range between M_w and the critical temperature T_c. We get a dissipation of the baryon and lepton number of the order of exp(4.6×10⁹).     

Baryon asymmetry of the proton sea at low-x

We predict a nonvanishing baryon asymmetry of the proton sea at low x. It is expected to be about 7% and nearly x-independent at x < 0.5 × 10^-3. The asymmetry arises from the baryon-antibaryon component of the Pomeron, rather than from the valence quarks of the proton, which are wide believed carriers of baryon number. Experimental study of x-distribution of the baryon asymmetry of the proton sea can be performed in ep or γp interactions at HERA, where x ～ 10^-5 are reachable, smaller than at any of existing or planned proton colliders.     

Spontaneous baryogenesis

The recently discovered mechanism of “spontaneous baryogenesis” for generating the baryon asymmetry is implemented in several particle physics models. In these scenarios, baryon number is an approximate symmetry spontaneously broken at a scale |;. The baryon asymmetry is generated without CP violation. Furthermore, this can come about during an epoch when baryon violation is in thermal equilibrium. We consider how various observational constraints affect the realization of this mechanism in acceptable models of particle interactions, and find that the observed baryon asymmetry can be produced for |;≳ 3 × 10¹³ GeV.     

Comments on the possibility of electroweak baryon number violation at high temperatures

Anomalous baryon number violation in the standard electroweak theory was first discussed by 't Hooft, who found it to be suppressed by a large factor exp(−8π²/g²) at zero temperature, due to a large energy barrier separating vacua with different baryon number. One might have expected that in the early Universe or in high-energy collisions, this process would become unsuppressed when the energies involved became comparable to the barrier height. We argue here that in both cases processes violating baryon number are likely to remain suppressed by a least the same zero-temperature factor.     

Glueball masses and string tension Smeared loop-loop correlation functions

By using results obtained by the Ape Collaboration [1] we study the glueball spectrum and the string tension in lattice QCD by analyzing correlation functions between operators. We use and discuss the smearing method. We consider a 5³ × 16 lattice at β = 5.6 as a test case, and a 12³ × 32 lattice at β = 5.9 in order to compare with the old wall results of ref. [3]. We study the structure of the excited states.     

Heavy to light baryon weak form factors in the lightcone constituent quark model

Heavy to light baryon weak form factors are investigated in a lightcone constituent quark model. In a SU(4) symmetry broken scheme, both charged and neutral weak current-induced form factors are calculated at theq ² = 0 point including the leading relativistic effects in the spin composition of baryons. The corresponding semileptonic decays are described by assuming dipole dependence of form factors onq ².     

Baryon production in lepton-nucleon scattering and diquark fragmentation

We study baryon production in deep inelastic scattering using an extended version of the Lund jet model. There are two contributing sources. The first is baryon production in the target fragmentation. In a scheme related to our earlier work on lowp _hu baryon fragmentation we present some details of the fragmentation of a diquark into baryons and mesons. A non-negligible baryon-antibaryon production is observed ine ⁺ e ^? annihilation. In a previous paper we developed a model for this production, and the same mechanism should also give fast baryons in leptoproduction. In this paper we discuss those features of baryon production which can be more easily studied in a leptoproduction experiment.     

Critical behaviour in baryonic matter

First we consider the phenomenology of deconfinement and chiral symmetry restoration for strongly interacting matter at non-vanishing baryon number density. Subsequently, we present numerical results obtained by a Monte Carlo evaluation of statistical QCD on an 8³×3 lattice, using Wilson fermions withN _f =2, in fourth order hopping parameter expansion, and suppressing the imaginary part of the fermion action. We consider baryonic chemical potentials up to μa=0.6μa=0.6 (μ/Λ _L ?200); in this range, the critical parameters for deconfinement and chiral symmetry restoration are found to coincide.     

Investigation of the diffractive reaction p + N → [∑+ K 0] + N at the proton energy of E p =70 GeV and observation of the decay process X(2000) → ∑+ K 0

The diffractive reaction p + N → [∑⁺ K ⁰] + N induced by 70-GeV protons is investigated at the SPHINX facility. The measured mass spectrum of the ∑⁺ K ⁰ system originating from this reaction shows a resonance structure with a mass of M=1995±18 MeV and a width of Γ=90±32 MeV. The cross section for the formation of this structure is found to be σ=182±38 nb per target nucleon. These data comply well with the results that we obtained previously in studying the reaction p + N → [∑⁰ K ⁺] + N, where we observed the formation of the X(2000) → ∑⁰ K ⁺ state, a candidate for an exotic baryon with hidden strangeness. The measured ratio R of the two branching fractions, R = Br[X(2000) → ∑⁺ K ⁰]/Br[X(2000) → ∑⁰ K ⁺] = 1.91 ± 0.38, is consistent with the value of R=2 expected for an isospin-1/2 baryon.     

Observation of charmed baryon production in νp interactions in BEBC

Two examples of charmed baryon production by neutrinos have been observed in BEBC filled with hydrogen. Both events fit uniquely the reaction νp → μ^?pK^?π⁺π⁺ and thus apparently violate the ΔS = ΔQ rule. None of the appropriate mass combinations is consistent with the mass values of the D⁰ and D⁺ mesons. However, for the mass combinations of the pK^?π⁺ systems, values of (2.285 ± 0.005) GeV and (2.280 ± 0.003) GeV are found for event 1 and 2, respectively. These values agree with the mass of (2.285 ± 0.006) GeV for the Λ_c⁺ charmed baryon determined recently in e⁺e^? collisions at SLAC.     

Baryon-to-entropy ratio in very high energy nuclear collisions

We compute as a function of rapidity y the baryon number carried by quarks and antiquarks with p _T > p ₀ ≈ 2 GeV produced in Pb+Pb collisions at TeV energies. The computation is carried out in lowest order QCD perturbation theory using structure functions compatible with HERA results. At p ₀ = 2 GeV the initial gluon density is both transversally saturated and thermalised in the sense that the energy/gluon equals to that of an ideal gas with the same energy density. Even at these high energies the initial net baryon number density at y = 0 at τ = 0.1 fin will be more than the normal nuclear matter density but the baryon-toentropy ratio is only (B-B?)/S ～ 1/5000. Further evolution of the system is discussed and the final baryon-to-entropy ratio is estimated.     

Leptonic decays of the Ω−

Branching ratios, widths, and lepton energy spectra are derived for the leptonic decays of the $\text{Ω}{}^{\mathrm{?}}$ into β⁰ and $\text{β}{}^{01}$. The calculations are made by hypothesizing that higher-order multipoles in an expansion of the baryon current are zero. The axial vector coupling is determined using the bag model.     

Baryon resonances and their properties from the CLAS data

The study of the baryon spectrum is a fundamental part of the scientific program in Hall B at Jefferson Lab. By using the CLAS detector, reactions involving electromagnetic production of exclusive hadronic final states in the kinematic region of baryon resonances have been extensively measured, with the purpose of extracting information on non-strange baryon excited states. Some selected topics in the N ^* CLAS experimental program are outlined and corresponding new experimental results are reported and briefly discussed.     

Nuclear spins of76Rb and119Cs byβ radiation detected optical pumping

An optical pumping apparatus has been attached to the reconstructed ISOLDE on-line mass separator at CERN in order to obtain nuclear data of isotopes far fromβ stability. As first results the spins of⁷⁶Rb (T _1/2=36.8 s) and¹¹⁹Cs (T _1/2=37.7 s) have been determined byβ radiation detected optical pumping (β-RADOP) to beI=1 andI=9/2 respectively.     

On some properties of the neutron in the statistical model

Using the statistical model to arrive at |ψ(r)|² the square modulus of theS state wavefunction of the neutron, the electric dipole moment |d _n ^e | of the neutron as well as its baryon number violating lifetime have been estimated. The baryon asymmetry of the universe depending on |d _n ^e | has also been studied in this context.