Inclusive π 0 and KS 0 production in two-photon collisions at LEP

The reactions e⁺e⁻→e⁺e⁻ π ⁰ X and e⁺e⁻→e⁺e⁻K_S ⁰ X are studied using data collected at LEP with the L3 detector at centre-of-mass energies between 189 and 202 GeV. Inclusive differential cross sections are measured as a function of the particle transverse momentum p _t and the pseudo-rapidity. For p _t ⩽1.5 GeV, the π ⁰ and K_S ⁰ differential cross sections are described by an exponential, typical of soft hadronic processes. For p _t ⩾1.5 GeV, the cross sections show the presence of perturbative QCD processes, described by a power-law. The data are compared to Monte Carlo predictions and to NLO QCD calculations.     

Subthreshold φ-meson production and medium effects in proton-nucleus reactions

Within the spectral function approach we study the direct production and decay via the dikaon (dimuon) channel of -mesons in the interactions of 2.4 and 2.7GeV protons with light and medium target nuclei. It is shown that the K⁺K^- ( ^+-) invariant-mass distribution consists of the two components which correspond to the decay outside and inside the target nucleus. The first (narrow) component has the free width, while the second (broad) component is distorted by the nuclear matter due to resonance-nucleon scattering and a possible in-medium modification of the kaons and -meson at finite baryon density. The relative strength of the inside and outside components is analyzed in different scenarios for the width and momentum cut. It is demonstrated that the width of the resulting dimuon invariant-mass distribution on medium nuclei is larger than the free width by a factor of about two if the total in-medium width is used and the respective cutoff for the three-momentum is applied, whereas the resulting dikaon invariant-mass distribution has an insignificant sensitivity to the in-medium properties due to the strong absorption of the K^- in the surrounding nuclear matter. On the other hand, because of the distortion of the K⁺ and K^- on their way out the target nucleus mainly due to the hadronic kaon potentials, the latter distribution is broadened and shifted to higher invariant masses, which means that the measurement of such broadening would give additional evidence for the modification of the kaon and antikaon properties in the nuclear medium.     

Dispersive methods and QCD sum rules for γ γ collisions

It has been shown, in the case of meson photoproduction, that the power-law falloff of these reactions can be described by lowest-order (real) sum rules, at moderate momentum transfer. The phases of these processes, in this regime, are usually thought to be non-perturbative. In a sum rule framework, however, they can possibly be described by radiative corrections to the hadronic spectral densities of the corresponding helicities, which become complex functions to order α_s, and the effects of interference can be strongly enhanced by the presence of the vacuum condensates in the dispersion relation. It is shown that the imaginary parts of these complex corrections have a factorized form and can be evaluated in a systematic fashion, while their real parts, at the same perturbative order, are down by at least two powers of momentum transfer. The analysis is done at two-loop level, combining dimensional regularization and light-cone methods. The calculations are performed for all the independent set of scalar diagrams generated by the OPE. The analytical bounds are identified and discussed.     

Heavy-to-light transition form factors and their relations in light-cone QCD sum rules

The light-cone QCD sum rules approach improved by using the chiral current correlator is systematically reviewed and applied to the calculation of all the heavy-to-light form factors, including all the semileptonic and penguin ones. By choosing suitable chiral currents, the light-cone sum rules for all the form factors are greatly simplified and depend mainly on one leading-twist distribution amplitude of the light meson. As a result, relations between these form factors arise naturally. At the considered accuracy, these relations reproduce the results obtained in the literature. Moreover, since the explicit dependence on the leading-twist distribution amplitudes is preserved, these relations may be more useful to simulate the experimental data and extract information on the distribution amplitude.     

Study of ππ production in two-photon collisions at Belle

We have measured the cross section for π+π- production in two-photon collisions using a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 85.9 fb-1 collected with the Belle detector. The f0(980) resonance is observed as a peak in the energy spectrum of the cross section. We also report preliminary results for γγ→π0π0 with two-photon center-of-mass energies ranging from 0.6 to 4.0 GeV, based on a 95 fb-1 data sample. We find at least four resonant structures including a peak from f0(980). In addition, there is evidence for Xc0 production. We also make a preliminary discussion of the angular dependence and cross section ratio of γγ→π+π- and γγ→π0π0.     

The cross section of the process e ++e −→J/ψ+η c within the QCD light-cone sum rules

We calculate the cross section of the exclusive process e ⁺+e ^?→J/ψ+η _c at the leading order approximation within the QCD light-cone sum rules approach. It is found that the form factor F _VP(V=J/ψ,P=η _c ) depends mainly on the behavior of the twist-2 distribution amplitude of the η _c meson at the scale of this process. Thus in order to obtain a reliable estimation of the cross section, it is important to have a realistic distribution amplitude of the η _c meson and to deal with the evolution of the distribution amplitude to the effective energy scale of the process. Our results show that one can obtain a compatible prediction with the Belle and BaBar experimental data.     

Study of ππ production in two-photon collisions at Belle

We have measured the cross section for π⁺π^－ production in two-photon collisions using a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 85.9fb^－1 collected with the Belle detector. The f₀(980) resonance is observed as a peak in the energy spectrum of the cross section. We also report preliminary results for γγ→π⁰π⁰ with two-photon center-of-mass energies ranging from 0.6 to 4.0GeV, based on a 95fb^－1 data sample. We find at least four resonant structures including a peak from f₀(980). In addition, there is evidence for χ_c0 production. We also make a preliminary discussion of the angular dependence and cross section ratio of γγ→π⁺π^－ and γγ→π⁰π⁰.     

Subthreshold K− production in pion-nucleus reactions

The inclusive subthresholdK ^– mesons production in charged pion-induced reactions is analyzed with respect to the one-step production processes on the basis of an appropriate first collision model, which allows one to take into account the various forms of an internal nucleon momentum distribution. Free elementary production processes are described by the phase space calculations normalized to the corresponding total experimental cross sections. Simple parametrizations for the total cross sections of theK ^– production in pion-nucleon collisions are given. Primary-pion energy dependence of the inclusive cross sections for K^– production in ⁺ C– collisions is calculated. The influence of the uncertainties in the elementaryK ^– production cross sections close to the production threshold on theK ^– yield is explored.The authors acknowledge stimulating discussions with V. Koptev on the initial stage of this study.     

The coupling constants g Vσγ in QCD sum rules

We review and update previous calculations of the coupling constants g _Vσγ and also determine new variables including the magnetic susceptibility of the quark condensate in QCD sum rules. Our estimates are consistent with the values obtained in the literature.     

Antikaon production in proton-nucleus reactions and the K− properties in nuclear matter

We calculate the momentum-dependent potentials for K⁺ and K⁻ mesons in a dispersion approach at nuclear density ϱ₀ using the information from the vacuum K⁺N and K⁻N scattering amplitudes, however, leaving out the resonance contributions for the in-medium analysis. Whereas the K⁺ potential is found to be repulsive (≈ + 25 MeV) and to show only a moderate momentum dependence, the K⁻ self-energy at normal nuclear matter density turns out to be ≈ − 140 ± 25 MeV at zero momentum roughly in line with K⁻ atomic data, however, decreases rapidly in magnitude for higher momenta. The antikaon production in p + A reactions is calculated within a coupled channel transport approach and compared to the data at KEK including different assumptions for the antikaon potentials. Furthermore, detailed predictions are made for p+¹²C and p+²⁰⁷Pb reactions at 2.5 GeV in order to determine the momentum-dependent antikaon potential experimentally.     

D~*Dρ and B~*Bρ strong couplings in light-cone sum rules

We present an improved calculation of the strong coupling constants g_(D~*Dp) and g_(B~*Bp) in light-cone sum rules, including one-loop QCD corrections of leading power with meson distribution amplitudes. We further compute subleading-power corrections from two-particle and three-particle higher-twist contributions at leading order up to twist-4 accuracy. The next-to-leading order corrections to the leading power contribution numerically offset the subleading-power corrections to a certain extent, and our numerical results are consistent with those of previous studies on sum rules. A comparison between our results and existing model-dependent estimations is also made.     

Partial wave analysis of πproduction in two-photon collisions at LEP

The reaction γγ → π⁺π^-π⁰ with quasi-real photons is studied with a total integrated luminosity of 663pb^-1, collected by the L3 detector at LEP at center-of-mass energies from 183 to 209GeV. The results of an energy-dependent partial wave analysis in the mass region 1.1≤M(π⁺π^-π⁰)≤2.2GeV are presented. The reaction is dominated by a₂(1320) formation. A strong signal consistent with the first radial excitation of the isovector tensor state, a₂(1700), is present and confirms the previous L3 observation. Its two-photon partial width is found to be Br(3π) = 0.37^+0.12_-0.08keV, the relative branching ratio of ρ(770)π to f₂(1270)π is 3.4±0.4. For all observed states the product of γγ partial width and 3π branching ratios is measured.     

Response of cooled PWO scintillators to low-energy gamma-rays and its importance in studies of the h c →η c + γ transition in charmonium

Suppression of non-resonant background due to emission of π ⁰ increases signal to background ratio in γ-ray emission studies between the discrete states of charmonium. We demonstrate with Monte-Carlo simulations how π ⁰ identification capability increases with decreasing threshold for γ-ray detection in π ⁰ decay. An apparatus has been designed and measurements of the FWHM resolution performed for the three energies 6.13, 12.7 and 16.9 MeV. The trend established in the 50–650 MeV energy range is corroborated.     

Analysis of the strong coupling form factors of Σ_bNB and Σ_cND in QCD sum rules

In this article, we study the strong interaction of the vertices Σ_bNB and Σ_cND using the three-point QCD sum rules under two different Dirac structures. Considering the contributions of the vacuum condensates up to dimension 5 in the operation product expansion, the form factors of these vertices are calculated. Then, we fit the form factors into analytical functions and extrapolate them into time-like regions, which gives the coupling constants. Our analysis indicates that the coupling constants for these two vertices are G_(Σ_bNB)= 0.43±0.01 GeV~(-1) and G_(Σ_cND)=3.76±0.05 GeV~(-1).     

Near-threshold ω-and φ-meson production in pn → dM reactions and OZI-rule violation

The reactions pn → dω and pn → dφ are investigated near the corresponding thresholds. The S-wave amplitudes are calculated within the two-step model described by a triangle graph with π, ρ, and ω mesons in the intermediate state. The cross sections for the reactions pn → dω and pn → dφ are predicted to be significantly larger than the cross sections for the corresponding reactions pp → ppω and pp → ppφ at the same values of the c.m. excess energy Q. The phi-to-omega yield ratio is found to be (34±10)×10^?3.     

Higgsino production through toponium in e+e− reactions

Higgsino production in e⁺e⁻ reactions is considered in the simplest model where the higgsino is the lightest supersymmetric particle. The supersymmetric version of the Wilczek mechanism seems to be the best way to detect higgsinos and photinos in the LEP energy range.     

Pion and kaon production in 70 GeV/c K − p interactions

Results are presented on the total and differential cross sections for the production of π⁺, π^?, γ, \(\bar K^0 \) ,K ⁰,K ⁺, andK ^? in theK ^? p interactions at 70 GeV/c. The energy dependence of the various production processes shows in paticular a strong rise of the γ cross section and an increase of the average transverse momentum of the charged pion in the fragmentation regions.