Comparison of e+e− annihilation with QCD and determination of the strong coupling constant

We have analyzed 1113 events of the reaction e⁺e^? → hadrons at CM energies of 12 and 30 GeV in order to make a detailed comparison with QCD. Perturbative effects can be well separated from effects depending on the quark and gluon fragmentation parameters to yield a reliable measurement of the coupling constant α_S. At 30 GeV, the result is α_S = 0.17 ± 0.02 (statistical) ± 0.03 (systematic). QCD model predictions, using the fragmentation parameters determined along with α_S, agree with both gross properties of the final states and with detailed features of the three-jet states.     

A new slant on hadron structure

Rather than regarding the restriction of current lattice QCD simulations to quark masses that are 5–10 times larger than those observed as a problem, we note that this presents a wonderful opportunity to deepen our understanding of QCD. Just as it has been possible to learn a great deal about QCD by treating N _c as a variable, so the study of hadron properties as a function of quark mass is leading us to a deeper appreciation of hadron structure. As examples we cite progress in using the chiral properties of QCD to connect hadron masses, magnetic moments, charge radii and structure functions calculated at large quark masses within lattice QCD with the values observed physically.     

The total cross section for the production of heavy quarks in hadronic collisions

We present the results of a full calculation of the QCD O(α_S³) radiative corrections to the total cross section for the production of a heavy quark pair. We find large contributions for parton subenergies near threshold and well above threshold. The implications for the production of top and bottom quarks at collider energies are discussed.     

Self-consistent Gaussian model of nonperturbative QCD vacuum

We show that the minimal Gaussian model of nonlocal vacuum quark and quark-gluon condensates in QCD violates the transverse character of the correlator of two vector currents. We suggest the improved Gaussian model of the nonperturbative QCD vacuum, which respects QCD equations of motion and minimizes the revealed gauge-invariance breakdown. We obtain the refined values of pion distribution amplitude (DA) conformal moments 〈ξ^2N 〉_π (N = 1, ..., 5) using the improved QCD vacuum model, including the inverse moment 〈x ^?1〉_π, being inaccessible if one uses the standard QCD SR. We construct the allowed region for Gegenbauer coefficients a ₂ and a ₄ of the pion DA for two values of the QCD vacuum nonlocality parameter, λ _q ² = 0.4 and 0.5 GeV².     

Probing the QCD critical point by higher moments of net-proton multiplicity distributions at STAR

Higher moments (kurtosis (??), skewness (S) and variance (?? ²)) of multiplicity distributions are sensitive to the correlation length and can be used to search for the QCD critical point. The moment products ??? ² and S ?? of net-proton distributions, which are also related to volume independent baryon number susceptibility ratios, can be compared with Lattice QCD and Hadron Resonance Gas (HRG) model calculations. We discuss the recent progress in the higher moments analysis of net-protons multiplicity distributions.     

Direct photon production beyond leading order in QCD

The significance of the quark-quark scattering process (quark+quark→quark+quark+photon) for the production of large-q_T real photons is discussed in the framework of perturbative QCD. To extract the finite contribution of this process to the differential cross section dσ/dy d²q_T (hadron 1+hadron 2→photon+anything) we define the gluon distribution and the quark-to-photon fragmentation function beyond the leading approximation. The calculations are performed consistently in the dimensional regularization scheme. Our numerical estimates show the resulting finite qq→qqγ contribution to be a small (order α_s/2π) correction in comparison with the basic QCD subprocesses.     

QCD sum rules in exclusive kinematics and pion wave function

We suggest a modification of the QCD sum rules for three-point correlation functions that relates hadron expectation values of an operator of interest to properties of the QCD vacuum in alternating external fields. A new sum rule is obtained for the nucleon magnetic moments. Relations are found between the couplings g_πNN , g_ρωπ and the value of the pion wave function at the point with equal momentum carried by the quark and the antiquark. Our results seem to exclude the possibility of having a pronounced dip in the pion wave function in the middle point, as has been assumed on the evidence of a large value of the second moment.     

Chromodynamics and jet acollinearity in e+e− annihilation: Determining the Quark-Gluon coupling

Acollinearity of the quark and antiquark jets produced in e⁺e^? collisions is an obvious signature of gluon emission. We discuss the computation of acollinearity distributions in perturbative QCD and compare the results with recent data. Teh measurements provide us with a direct determination of the running coupling constant α_S.     

Recent Results for the Unquenched Quark Model

We discuss a new generation of unquenched quark models for baryons is presented in which the effects of quark–antiquark pairs are taken into account in an explicit form by means of a ³ P ₀ quark–antiquark creation mechanism. This provides the possibility to address many open problems in baryons structure and spectroscopy. The applications to magnetic moments and to the spin and flavor content of baryons will be reviewed here.     

Nonperturbative phenomena in QCD at finite temperature in a magnetic field

The norperturbative QCD vacuum at finite temperature in a external magnetic field is studied. Equations that relate nonperturbative QCD condensates at finite temperature to the thermodynamic pressure at T ≠ 0 and H ≠ 0 are obtained, and low-energy theorems are derived. The free energy of the QCD vacuum in the hadronic phase at H ≠ 0 is calculated, and expressions for the quark and gluon condensates are obtained. Various limiting cases for the behavior of the condensates at low and high temperatures and in weak and strong magnetic fields are investigated. A new interesting phenomenon that consists in the freezing of the quark condensate by a magnetic field is found. The character of spontaneous chiral-symmetry breaking in finite-temperature QCD in a magnetic field is studied. For this purpose, the Gell-Mann-Oakes-Renner formula relating the pion mass M _π and the axial-vector coupling constant F _π to the quark condensate is derived at T ≠ 0 and H ≠ 0. It is shown that this formula preserves its form at finite temperature after taking into account a magnetic field—that is, no additional terms independent of T and H appear. Thus, the scheme of soft chiral-symmetry breaking remains unchanged. The quark-hadron phase transition in QCD in a magnetic field is studied. It is shown that the phase-transition temperature becomes lower than that in the case of zero magnetic field.     

Parton structure of heavy mesons with variousJ P in QCD

We calculate the moments of heavy quark-parton distribution in heavy flavored (c, b) mesons with variousJ ^P by means of QCD sum rule approach. The results demonstrate that this method allows to distinguish between the structure functions of hadrons with the same quark content and different spin-parity. In particular the leading effect of heavy quark is less in the case ofP-wave mesons (0⁺, 1⁺). This prediction may be tested in the fragmentation of heavy quark into mesons with variousJ ^P.     

The effect of higher-dimensional operators in K → ππ decays

We reexamine the weak ΔS = 1 sector by including higher-dimensional four-quark operators in the lowenergy effective Lagrangian ? _eff ^ΔS=1 . The introduction of a physical cut-off Λ ～- 1 GeV as an effective mass scale in QCD allows for a systematic expansion in powers of p/Λ where p denotes some external quark momentum. Within this framework analytical expressions for the higher-dimensional operators are obtainable. By means of the chiral quark model we evaluate K → ππ matrix elements of L _eff ^ΔS=1 and identify the corrections to the isospin decay channels g ^(1/2) and g ^(3/2). While little affecting ΔI = 1/2 transitions the effect is substantial in the ΔI = 3/2 case where it amounts to a 40% enhancement numerically.     

Opposite side quantum number correlations ine + e −-annihilation

We claim that double moments of twoparticle distributions are very sensitive quantities for testing the opposite side quantum number correlations ine ⁺ e ^?-annihilation predicted by the quark parton model. In particular it is found that kaon correlations are extremely transparent in these quantities. This feature survives when the QCD predictedQ ²-dependence is taken into account. We also stress the importance of establishing the higher meson resonance content in quark jets in order to make a sensible QCD-analyses of the fragmentation functions.     

Jets from heavy quarks ine + e − annihilation

The quark mass effects in the jet structure ine ⁺ e ^? annihilation into hadrons are studied in the lowest nontrivial O(α _s ) order of QCD perturbation theory.     

Electric quadrupole and magnetic octupole moments of the light decuplet baryons within light cone QCD sum rules

The electric quadrupole and magnetic octupole moments of the light decuplet baryons are calculated in the framework of the light cone QCD sum rules. The obtained non-vanishing values for the electric quadrupole and magnetic octupole moments of these baryons show nonspherical charge distribution. The sign of electric quadrupole moment is positive for Ω⁻, Ξ^*−, Σ^*− and negative for Σ^*+, which correspond to the prolate and oblate charge distributions, respectively. A comparison of the obtained results with the predictions of non-covariant quark model which shows a good consistency between two approaches is also presented. Comparison of the obtained results on the multipole moments of the decuplet baryons containing strange quark with those of Δ baryons shows a large SU(3) flavor symmetry breaking.     

A new model forN \bar N annihilation

A new quark model forN \(\bar N\) annihilation is proposed. It is argued that a linear superposition of the so-called³P₀ and³S₁ models is more consistent with QCD and the inclusion of quark degrees of freedom inNN scattering, and is also suggested by the data. A comparison is made, in Born approximation, with the angular distribution for \(p\bar p \to \Lambda \bar \Lambda \) .     

Heavy quark production at a photon linear collider

Heavy quark production at future Compton colliders is investigated. The impact of polarization has been studied. Perturbative QCD corrections to the effective cross section are calculated and found to be at the level of 40% for ae ⁺ e ^? collider of 500 GeV and a top quark mass of 150 GeV. The η _t resonance structure is incorporated.     

Properties of quark matter governed by quantum chromodynamics (II). Renormalization schemes in quark matter

Renormalization schemes are examined (in the Coulomb gauge) for quantum chromodynamics in the presence of quark matter. We demand that the effective coupling constant for all schemes become congruent with the vacuum QCD running coupling constant as the matter chemical potential, μ, goes to zero. Also, to enable us to standardize with the vacuum QCD running coupling constant at some asymptotic momentum transfer, $\text{|}\text{p}{}_0\text{|,}\text{we keep}\text{μ ? ¦}\text{p}{}_0\text{¦}$, to ensure that the matter contribution is negligible at this point. This means all schemes merge with vacuum QCD at $\text{|}\text{p}{}_0\text{|}$ and beyond. Two renormalization group invariants are shown to emerge: (i) the effective or invariant charge, g_inv², which is, however, scheme dependent and (ii) g²(M)/S(M), where S(M)^?1 is the Coulomb propagator, which is scheme independent. The only scheme in which g_inv² is scheme independent and identical to g²(M)/S(M) is the screened charged scheme (previous paper) characterised by the normalization of the entire Green function, S^?1, to unity. We conclude that this is the scheme to be used if one wants to identify with the experimental effective coupling in perturbation theory. However, if we do not restrict to perturbation theory all schemes should be allowed. Although we discuss matter QCD in the Coulomb gauge, the above considerations are quite general to gauge theories in the presence of matter.