The Skyrmion Skyrmion interaction and the meson exchange model for the NN potential

The properties of nucleon-nucleon (NN) potentials derived from the Skyrme model are investigated compared to those of typical One-Boson-Exchange (OBE) models, For that purpose the NN as well as the nucleon-antinucleon (N¯N) potentials are evaluated for the isoscalar central channel, the isovector spin channel, and the isovector tensor channel. A comparison of NN and N¯N interactions allows a separation into terms with positive and negativeG-parity and therefore a detailed comparison with the properties of the OBE model. This analysis is performed using the classical Lagrangian of the Skyrme model and considering an extension of this Lagrangian by a term of sixth order, which has recently been proposed. The results indicate that the extended Lagrangian yields an interaction which is quite consistent with the OBE picture. The extended model, however, is much more sensitive to the values of the parameters and the approximations being used for the evaluation of the field for two baryons.     

Resonances of the NN̄ system within a field theoretical model

The bound resonance states of the NN? system are calculated on the basis of the OBE model for nuclear forces. The widths of these states are for the first time calculated microscopically in as much as the corresponding bloc diagrams for the decay in two bosons are treated explicitly. All parameters of the boson-nucleon coupling scheme were determined from a fitting of the OBEP to the experimental NN scattering phases. In contrast to former treatments (introduction of a phenomenological imaginary part of the potential) three narrow bound states (among a large number of very broad unobservable levels) were found with level widths smaller than 30 MeV. Levels of this kind were suggested by earlier experiments which, however, were not confirmed by later investigations.     

Nonperturbative heavy-quark diffusion in the quark-gluon plasma

We evaluate heavy-quark (HQ) transport properties in a quark-gluon plasma (QGP) within a Brueckner many-body scheme employing interaction potentials extracted from thermal lattice QCD. The in-medium T matrices for elastic charm- and bottom-quark scattering off light quarks in the QGP are dominated by attractive meson and diquark channels which support resonance states up to temperatures of ~1.5T(c). The resulting drag coefficient increases with decreasing temperature, contrary to expectations based on perturbative QCD scattering. Employing relativistic Langevin simulations we compute HQ spectra and elliptic flow in sqrt[s(NN)]=200 GeV Au-Au collisions. A good agreement with electron decay data supports our nonperturbative computation of HQ diffusion, indicative for a strongly coupled QGP.     

Bag-model quantum chromodynamics at low energy

Gluon-exchange mediating quark-exchange scattering is the mechanism of lowest order in perturbative QCD that contributes to the strong interactions at low energy. When it is dressed with long-range quark-gluon correlations by means of bag-model wavefunctions, this quark interchange force becomes bilocal in the quark-gluon sector involving the whole bag and non-perturbative. When it is Fierz-rearranged, the quark-interchange amplitude takes on the usual local form for each hadron that is expected from the wealth of empirical knowledge at low energy. This quark interchange is calculated here in the MIT bag model, which is supplemented by tunneling rules, and then applied to elastic NN scattering, and subsequently toπN andππ scattering. For each reaction the OBE interaction is obtained in agreement with meson theoretic models. Repulsive axial-vector meson exchanges are predicted for NN scattering at short range. The chiral structure of the quark interchange force in conjunction with its tunneling aspects suggest an interpretation of the strong interactions at low energy as Josephson currents of non-Abelian superconductivity.     

Nitronyl Nitroxides as a Spin Probe in EPR Tomography In Vivo

Recently, new water- and blood-soluble nitronyl nitroxides, 2-(5-methyl-1H-imidazole-4-yl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydroimidazole-3-oxide-1-oxyl (NN1) and 2-(1H-imidazole-4-yl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydroimidazole-3-oxide-1-oxyl (NN2), (Fig. 1), were synthesized and used as contrast agents for MRI (Savelov et al. Dokl Academ Nauk 416(4): 493–495, 2007). Taking into account the high rate constants of NN’s reduction by ascorbic acid and other biologically relevant reductants, it is not clear which factors helped with the use of these nitroxides in vivo as a contrast reagent. Moreover, due to high solubility in an aqueous solution and low toxicity (Ovcharenko et al. in Dokl Academ Nauk 404(2):198–200, 2005, Eriksson et al. in Drug Metab Dispos 15(2):155–160, 1987, Afzal et al. in Polyhedron 22(14):1957–1964, 2003) of NNs, it seems possible to use them as a spin probe for NO in vivo with EPR tomography. In this paper, we studied reduction of NN1 and NN2 in model conditions (by ascorbic acid) and in vitro. In addition, the possibility of NN1 and NN2 to be used as paramagnetic probes for L-band EPR imaging in vivo was investigated. Nitric oxide (NO) expression in vivo leads to the decrease in concentrations of NN1, 2 upon the injection in a mouse body, that can be explained by the reaction of studied radicals with NO and fast transformation of the reaction products to diamagnetic species. Pharmacokinetics of NN1, 2 and limitations of their application as contrast agents in MRI are discussed also. Finally, the results of EPR tomography were compared with MRI data. It is shown that the fast reduction of the reaction product of NN with NO—imino nitroxides—is the main obstacle to use NN as a spin probe in vivo.

On the effective σ-boson exchange in the relativistic Dirac-Brueckner approach to nuclear matter

A relativistic form of the Brueckner theory of nuclear matter is applied to an extended meson-exchange model for the NN-interaction which contains explicit 2π-and π-exchange. This model avoids the effective σ-boson which is characteristic of the simplified meson exchange, as e.g. the one-boson-exchange (OBE) potential. It turns out that the relativistic saturation. effects found earlier within the OBE model are confirmed by the extended and more realistic model. In particular it is found that the relativistic effects caused by the explicit 2π-and π-exchange are well simulated by the effective σ-boson of the OBE model.     

Properties of 12C in the Ab initio nuclear shell model

We obtain properties of 12C in the ab initio no-core nuclear shell model. The effective Hamiltonians are derived microscopically from the realistic CD Bonn and the Argonne V8' nucleon-nucleon (NN) potentials as a function of the finite harmonic oscillator basis space. Binding energies, excitation spectra, and electromagnetic properties are presented for model spaces up to 5Planck's over 2piOmega. The favorable comparison with available data is a consequence of the underlying NN interaction rather than a phenomenological fit.     

Phenomenology of the nucleon-nucleon potential

A local nucleon-nucleon potential expansion is developed in terms of orthogonal projectors. Considering the nucleon-nucleon (NN) potential as a completely phenomenological structure, the expansion provides an opportunity to obtain the NN scattering phase shifts that can be described by applying a restricted set of operators, dependent on angular and spin-isospin degrees of freedom of the interacting nucleons. The results obtained with an approximation for eight basic operators (central, spin-orbit and tensorial) are consistent with experience in the field, and provide directions for further modifications of realistic NN potentials.     

The ϱNN vertex in vector-dominance models

A new πN amplitude analysis and experimental data for the pion form factor have been used in order to determine the $\text{I = J = 1 ππ}\text{N}\text{N}$ partial waves and properties of the ?NN vertices. The results are compared with earlier determinations of ?NN coupling constants from πN and NN scattering and from nucleon for, factor data.     

In-medium Nucleon-Nucleon Inelastic Scattering Cross Section(Ⅰ)

The explicit expressions for in-medium NN→N△ cross section are derived within the relativistic Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck approach,which are given simultalleously with the other integrants of transport model such as the mean field, NN elastic scattering cross section as well as the transport equation itself based on the effective Lagrangian.Our results can reproduce the experimental data of free inelastic cross section nicely.The in-medium inelastic cross section is calculated up to twice nuclear matter density and is in agreement with the Dirac-Brueckner calculations.     

Open charm production at RHIC: Recent results from STAR

We report recent measurements on the open charm production in d+Au and p+p collisions at $\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 200$ GeV from the STAR detector at RHIC. The two independent measurements — direct open charm hadron (D⁰, D^* etc.) reconstruction and non-photonic single electron spectrum — provide consistent results. The mid-rapidity charm differential cross section per nucleon-nucleon collision from d+Au collisions at RHIC is $d\sigma _{c\bar c}^{NN} /dy = 0.30 \pm 0.04(stat.) \pm 0.09(syst.)$ mb, which is higher than predictions from most of the NLO pQCD calculations. Implications for charmonium production in Au+Au collisions will also be discussed.     

The p/π ratio pT dependence in the RHIC range of baryo-chemical potential

The BRAHMS measurement of proton-to-pion ratios in Au+Au and p+p collisions at $ \sqrt {s_{NN} } $ \sqrt {s_{NN} } = 62.4 GeV and $ \sqrt {s_{NN} } $ \sqrt {s_{NN} } = 200 GeV is presented as a function of transverse momentum and collision centrality within the pseudorapidity range 0 ≤ η ≤ 3. The baryo-chemical potential, μ _B , for the indicated data spans from μ _B ≈ 26 MeV ($ \sqrt {s_{NN} } $ \sqrt {s_{NN} } 200 GeV, η ≈ 0) to μ _B ∼ 260 MeV ($ \sqrt {s_{NN} } $ \sqrt {s_{NN} } = 62.4 GeV, η ≈ 3) [1]. The p/πratio measured for Au+Au system at $ \sqrt {s_{NN} } $ \sqrt {s_{NN} } 62.4 GeV, η ≈ 3 reaches astounding value of 8–10 at p _T > 1.5 GeV/c. For these energy and pseudorapidity interval no centrality dependency of p/π ratio is observed. Moreover, the baryon-to-meson ratio of nucleus-nucleus data are consistent with results obtained for p+p interactions.     

Hadron production and phase changes in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

We study soft hadron production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions in a wide range of reaction energy, 4.8 GeV < < 200 GeV, and make predictions about yields of particles using the statistical hadronization model. In fits to experimental data, we obtain both the statistical parameters as well as physical properties of the hadron source. We identify the properties of the fireball at the critical energy threshold, 6.26 GeV < < 7.61 GeV, marking for higher energies the hadronization of an entropy-rich phase. In terms of the chemical composition, one sees a phase which at low energy is chemically under-saturated, and which turns into a chemically over-saturated state persisting up to the maximum accessible energy. Assuming that there is no change in physical mechanisms in the energy range 15 > ≥200 GeV, we use continuity of particle yields and statistical parameters to predict the hadron production at = 62.4 GeV, and obtain total yields of hadrons at = 130 GeV. We consider, in depth, the pattern we uncover within the hadronization condition, and discuss possible mechanisms associated with the identified rapid change in system properties at . We propose that the chemically over-saturated 2 + 1 flavor hadron matter system undergoes a 1st-order phase transition.     

Neutron-antineutron oscillations in the deuteron studied with NN and ■N interactions based on chiral effective field theory

Neutron-antineutron(n−n)oscillations in the deuteron are considered.Specifically,the deuteron lifetime is calculated in terms of the free-space n−n oscillation time τn−n based on NN and NN interactions derived within chiral effective field theory(EFT).This results in(2.6±0.1)×10^22τ2^n−n s,which is close to the value obtained by Dover and collaborators more than three decades ago,but disagrees with recent EFT calculations that were performed within the perturbative scheme proposed by Kaplan,Savage,and Wise.Possible reasons for the difference are discussed.