A complete set of linearly independent observables in Compton scattering with arbitrarily polarised real photons off an arbitrarily polarised spin-1 target is introduced, for the case that the final-state polarisations are not measured. Adopted from the one widely used e.g. in deuteron photo-dissociation, it consists of 18 terms: the unpolarised cross section, the beam asymmetry, 4 target asymmetries and 12 asymmetries in which both beam and target are polarised. They are expressed by the helicity amplitudes and -- where available -- related to observables discussed by other authors. As application to deuteron Compton scattering, their dependence on the (isoscalar) scalar and spin dipole polarisabilities of the nucleon is explored in Chiral Effective Field Theory with dynamical Delta(1232) degrees of freedom at order $e^2delta^3$. Some asymmetries are sensitive to only one or two dipole polarisabilities, making them particularly attractive for experimental studies. At a photon energy of 100 MeV, a set of 5 observables is identified from which one may be able to extract the spin polarisabilities of the nucleon. These are experimentally realistic but challenging and mostly involve tensor-polarised deuterons. Relative to Compton scattering from a nucleon, sensitivity to the mixed spin polarisabilities $gamma_{E1M2}$ and $gamma_{M1E2}$ is increased because of interference with the D wave component of the deuteron and with its pion-exchange current. An interactive Mathematica 9.0 notebook with results for all observables at photon energies up to 120 MeV is available from [email protected]. Note May 2017/April 2018: This arXiv version presents the article including the corrections in the Errata Eur. Phys. J. A53 (2017) 113 and A54 (2018) 57 to ibid. A49 (2013) 100. This affects Eqs. (2.12) to (2.14), Figs. 4, 7 to 10, 12, 14 to 16, 18 to 20, 22 and 23, and the corresponding, related text.
We present recent results on elastic deuteron Compton scattering calculations for polarised beans and targets up to next-to-leading order within Chiral Effective Field Theory in the Small Scale Expansion variant to implement a dynamical Delta(1232) degree of freedom. A simple power-counting argument discloses that np-intermediate rescattering states must be explicitly included at leading order already. This automatically results in the correct Thomson limit and guarantees current conservation. In view of ongoing effort at MAXlab, proposals at HIGS and plans at MAMI, we address in detail single- and double-polarised observables with linearly or circularly polarised photons on both unpolarised and vector-polarised deuterons. Our results indicate that several of the polarisation observables can be instrumental to extract not only spin-independent nucleon polarisabilities, but also the so-far practically un-determined spin-dependent polarisabilities which parameterise the stiffness of the nucleon spin in external electro-magnetic fields. Amongst the questions addressed are: convergence of the expansion for including the Delta, the role of the np-rescattering contributions, and sensitivity to the deuteron wave function. An interactive Mathematica 7.0 notebook of these findings is available from the authors.
We investigate the dependence of polarisation observables in elastic deuteron Compton scattering below the pion production threshold on the spin-independent and spin-dependent iso-scalar dipole polarisabilities of the nucleon. The calculation uses Chiral Effective Field Theory with dynamical Delta(1232) degrees of freedom in the Small Scale Expansion at next-to-leading order. Resummation of the NN intermediate rescattering states and including the Delta induces sizeable effects. The analysis considers cross-sections and the analysing power of linearly polarised photons on an unpolarised target, and cross-section differences and asymmetries of linearly and circularly polarised beams on a vector-polarised deuteron. An intuitive argument helps one to identify kinematics in which one or several polarisabilities do not contribute. Some double-polarised observables are only sensitive to linear combinations of two of the spin-polarisabilities, simplifying a multipole-analysis of the data. Spin-polarisabilities can be extracted at photon energies gtrsim 100 MeV, after measurements at lower energies of lesssim 70 MeV provide high-accuracy determinations of the spin-independent ones. An interactive Mathematica 7.0 notebook of our findings is available from [email protected].
Deuteron-deuteron elastic scattering and transfer reactions in the energy regime above four-nucleon breakup threshold are described by solving exact four-particle equations for transition operators. Several realistic nuclear interaction models are used, including the one with effective many-nucleon forces generated by the explicit $Delta$-isobar excitation; the Coulomb force between protons is taken into account as well. Differential cross sections, deuteron analyzing powers, outgoing nucleon polarization, and deuteron-to-neutron polarization transfer coefficients are calculated at 10 MeV deuteron energy. Overall good agreement with the experimental data is found. The importance of breakup channels is demonstrated.
It is shown that the ratio of the deuteron and proton analysing powers in proton-deuteron elastic scattering at small angles is sensitive to subtle effects in a theoretical description. These include the transverse spin-spin term in the elementary nucleon-nucleon amplitudes and double-scattering corrections. On the other hand there is far less sensitivity to the spin-orbit amplitude and to binding or other kinematic effects associated with the use of the deuteron, as either target or projectile. The available data are in agreement with the results of a refined Glauber theory model.
Spin polarization observables of the deuteron photodisintegration at low energies are studied in a pionless effective field theory up to next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO). The total and differential cross sections, induced neutron polarization $P_{y}$, and tensor analyzing powers $T_{20}$ and $T_{22}$ of the process are calculated at photon energies from the breakup threshold to 20~MeV. We find that the NNLO corrections in the cross sections and $P_{y}$ converge well whereas they turn out to be important contributions in $T_{20}$ and $T_{22}$. We discuss the discrepancy between theory and experiment in $P_{y}$ still persisting as well as an implication of our result to the first measurement of $T_{20}$ at low energies in the HIGS facility.