Charm production by weak neutral currents

We discuss quantitatively the production of charm in $\text{v}\text{N and}\text{v}\text{N}$ neutral current interactions, and the anomalous lepton events that follow from semi-leptonic charm decay. Diagonal neutral currents, in the Weinberg-Salam model and similar models, predict associated charm production with small cross sections: e.g. $\text{σ(v}\text{N}\text{→ vcc}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{X}\text{)/σ(v}\text{N}\text{→ μ}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{X}\text{) ? 10}{}^{\mathrm{?2}}$ at high energy. The meagre data on vN → ve⁺X are consistent with a rate of this order. Non-diagonal neutral currents, if present, could give larger cross sections via valence p → c transitions. It should be possible to distinguish diagonal from non-diagonal contributions by their x- or u-dependences, where u = x(1 ? y). We calculate the expected energy distributions of the leptons in characteristic vN → v?⁺X and vN → v?⁺?^?X charm decay events using simple models, and discuss some practical problems in neutral current measurements.     

Nuclear excitation by neutral weak currents

The use of neutrino excitation of nuclear levels to study weak neutral currents is examined.     

Neutral pion production by weak neutral currents in neutrino and antineutrino reactions

A study is presented of single π^o production in neutrino and antineutrino interactions in Gargamelle filled with freon CF₃Br. Limits on the neutral to charged current cross-section ratios $\text{R}{}_{\mathrm{v}}\text{=σ(v}\text{N}\text{→v}\text{N}\text{′π}{}^{\mathrm{o}}\text{)/2 σ(v}\text{N}\text{→ μ}{}^{\mathrm{-}}\text{N}\text{′π}{}^{\mathrm{o}}\text{)}$ and $\text{R}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>\nu </mtext>}}\text{= σ(}\text{ν}\text{N}\text{→}\text{ν}\text{N}\text{′π}{}^{\mathrm{o}}\text{)/2 σ(}\text{ν}\text{N}\text{→ ω}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{N}\text{′π}{}^{\mathrm{o}}\text{)}$ are found to be $\text{0.10 < R}{}_{\mathrm{\nu }}\text{< 0.20}\text{and}\text{0.26 < R}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>\nu </mtext>}}\text{< 0.44}$ at 68% confidence level.     

QCD predictions for charm and bottom quark production at RHIC

We make up-to-date QCD predictions for open charm and bottom production at RHIC in nucleon-nucleon collisions at square root of S=200 GeV. We also calculate the electron spectrum resulting from heavy flavor decays to allow direct comparison to the data. A rigorous benchmark, including the theoretical uncertainties, is established against which nuclear collision data can be compared to obtain evidence for nuclear effects.     

Effects of neutral weak currents in annihilation

General cross-sections are given for annihilation via one photon and W⁰ exchange. Effects of the W⁰ in the special cases e⁺e^?→μ⁺μ^? and $\text{p}\text{p}\text{→?}{}^{\mathrm{+}}\text{?}{}^{\mathrm{?}}$ at high energies are discussed. These effects are estimated to be comparable to the effects from one γ exchange at energies accesible in NAL and SPS.     

Pion production by neutral currents in neutrino-nucleon collisions

It is argued that the apparent arbitrariness of the “anomaly” in Fujikawa's approach should be placed into the context of the regularization of the theory not just the regularization of the anomaly. When the theory is regularized at the level of the action the consistent anomaly arises. The converse also holds, namely that if the anomaly is not consistent then the regulator employed does not, by itself, regulate the theory at the level of the action. The criterion that the regularization presription be given at the outset is advocated, and a discussion of results of various two-dimensional models given.     

Analysis of weak neutral currents using light-cone algebra

Using the algebra of light-cone commutators and making some simplifying assumptions, we have attempted to determine the isospin structure of a two-parameter weak hadronic neutral current. We have also computed in the light-cone model, they distributions for inclusive neutrino and antineutrino neutral current deep-inelastic interactions. Contrary to the quark-parton model, we find that both distributions have the same value.     

Energetic stabilization of d-camphor via weak neutral currents

It is shown via a series of numerical tests on the camphor molecule, C10H16O, that the naturally occurring d-enantiomer is energetically stabilized with respect to its mirror image by electroweak force. The calculated energy difference between enantiomers, about 1.5 x 10(-19) hartree, is roughly eight orders of magnitude smaller than the upper bound suggested by available spectroscopic investigations on the frequency of a spectroscopic transition. However, such a difference is about ten times larger than previous estimates of parity-violating energy contributions reported in the literature for other chiral molecules, which makes the idea of electroweak stabilization of one enantiomer more reliable than expected before.     

QCD corrections to charm quark production in deep-inelastic neutrino scattering

We evaluate theO(_s) corrections to weak, charged current production of charm quarks. For perturbative subtractions and parton densities in the deep inelastic scheme the residual corrections to p and charm production structure functionsF ₂,F ₃ andF _L are presented. The consequences of these corrections with respect to they dependence of the cross section is discussed.Supported by Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie. 05 5HH91P (8), Bonn, FRG     

Testing weak neutral currents in longitudinally polarized colliding beams

We study the effects of a weak neutral current as they show up in longitudinally polarized colliding beams. The reactions considered here are e⁺e^?→μ⁺μ^? and e⁺e^?→π⁺π^?. The electromagnetic background and means to suppress this are also discussed.     

Triangle anomaly free weak interaction with two neutral currents

Considering that the neutral interaction is free of triangle anomalies we derive an expression for the most general neutral interaction with two neutral currents. We show that the Bargers version is a special case. We also determine the interaction wheneverZ, D are mass eigen states and show that this differs from the Barger’s version in an essential way.     

Gauge theories and “elastic” weak neutral currents

For the gauge group O(4) × U(1), the alternatives: left-handed leptons are (a) 4-spinors, (b) 4-vectors are shown to imply (a) possible presence, (b) absence of elastic ν_μ ? e and ν_μ ? nucleon amplitude to O(G). Some properties of the new spinor model are described. In contains a neutral current closely akin to the one in the Salam-Ward-Weinberg model.     

Testing the structure of weak neutral currents by inelastic neutrino scattering from nuclei

By using selected nuclear transitions specific pieces of the weak neutral current may be greatly enhanced, leading to widely different results for different models of the weak neutral current. Predictions for low-energy inelastic neutrino scattering from ¹²C are examined within the framework of a variety of SU(2)_W × U(1) gauge theory models.     

Pion production by fragmentation of weak currents in Weinberg theory

The Feynman quark parton model is used to study inclusive single-pion production by the fragmentation of the neutral and charged weak currents of Weinberg theory. The structure functions for the neutral current-induced reactions are related to those for the electromagnetic and charged weak current processes. Analogues of inclusive deep-inelastic sum rules are derived. The ratios of neutral current to charged current cross sections for semi-inclusive pion production are studied. In the approximation of neglect of “core” partons, these ratios are given in terms of average pion multiplicities in the charged current-induced reaction. We finally specialise to the quark parton distributions of McElhaney and Tuan to calculate these ratios as functions of the Weinberg angle.     

Experimental limits on the strength of weak neutral currents in lepton pair production at PETRA energies

The processes e⁺e^? → e⁺e^? and μ⁺μ^? have been studied at PETRA using the JADE detector. The data, which were collected at s-values of up to 1300 GeV² have been analysed in terms of an electro-weak extension of QED to obtain values for the weak vector and axial vector couplings in the lepton sector. The values obtained agree with the predictions of the standard Salam-Weinberg model and the data are further analysed in terms of this model to obtain the limits 0.10 < sin²?_w < 0.40 (68% CL). The mass of the neutral weak gauge boson is deduced to be greater than 51 GeV/c².     

Information on neutral weak currents from circular polarization of bremsstrahlung

Bremsstrahlung of unpolarized electrons is analysed for information on neutral weak interactions. The coupling of axial lepton and polar hadron neutral currents should cause a circular polarization of about 10^?6 at electron and photon energies of a few hundred MeV and forward angles. The specific nuclear structure is of modest importance.     

Perturbative QCD and weak asymmetries in lepton pair production

The interference of electromagnetic and weak production mechanisms for lepton pair production may give rise to several effects which violate parity and charge symmetry. These effects are generally of the order of 1% for dilepton masses of 10 GeV. The theoretical calculations presented here show that experimental studies of these asymmetries may be useful. In particular, measurements of these asymmetries in collisions of pions with polarized protons may lead to a greatly enhanced understanding of the polarization distribution of quarks in a polarized proton. The polarization structure of the d quark is shown to be of special interest. Measurement of the parity-violating asymmetries in proton-polarized proton collisions may prove to be a sensitive probe of the flavor symmetry of the proton antiquark sea. Analysis of the parity conserving charge asymmetry (which is predicted to occur in collisions of unpolarized hadrons) allows a unique further test of the Drell-Yan model for lepton pair production, as well as of our understanding of weak interactions.The above asymmetries mentioned are computed within the framework of the parton model. The focus of this work is on the asymmetries calculated with the inclusion of first-order perturbative QCD effects. The asymmetries are calculated in a differential form for values of the dilepton transverse momentum large compared with the typical (～1 GeV) scale of nonperturbative effects, and also in a form in which this transverse momentum has been integrated over. Corrections to the parton model results, which can be large, show rather different structure for the various asymmetries.A parity-violating asymmetry which may occur in collisions of unpolarized hadrons is also discussed. This asymmetry is very sensitive to the nonperturbative structure of hadrons, and is estimated to be approximately 0.01% for dilepton masses of 10 GeV.     

Symmetric six-quark model and associated neutral currents

A symmetric six-quark gauge model is proposed to account for the recent neutrino and antineutrino data on charged and neutral currents. As a bonus, exact isospin symmetry for strong interaction is obtained in a natural way. Further consequences are elaborated.