No Arabic abstract
The reactions $gamma ptopi^0 p$ and $gamma ptopi^+ n$ are analyzed in a semi-phenomenological approach up to $Esim2.3$ GeV. Fits to differential cross section and single and double polarization observables are performed. A good overall reproduction of the available photoproduction data is achieved. The Julich2012 dynamical coupled-channel model -which describes elastic $pi N$ scattering and the world data base of the reactions $pi Ntoeta N$, $KLambda$, and $KSigma$ at the same time - is employed as the hadronic interaction in the final state. The framework guarantees analyticity and, thus, allows for a reliable extraction of resonance parameters in terms of poles and residues. In particular, the photocouplings at the pole can be extracted and are presented.
We argue that the reaction mechanism for the coherent pion production is not known with sufficient accuracy to determine the neutron radius of 208Pb to the claimed precision of 0.03 fm.
The $eta N$ final state is isospin-selective and thus provides access to the spectrum of excited nucleons without being affected by excited $Delta$ states. To this end, the world database on eta photoproduction off the proton up to a center-of-mass energy of $Esim 2.3$ GeV is analyzed, including data on differential cross sections, and single and double polarization observables. The resonance spectrum and its properties are determined in a combined analysis of eta and pion photoproduction off the proton together with the reactions $pi Nto pi N$, $eta N$, $KLambda$ and $KSigma$. For the analysis, the so-called Julich coupled-channel framework is used, incorporating unitarity, analyticity, and effective three-body channels. Parameters tied to photoproduction and hadronic interactions are varied simultaneously. The influence of recent MAMI $T$ and $F$ asymmetry data on the eta photoproduction amplitude is discussed in detail.
We discuss the possibility of extracting the neutron-neutron scattering length $a_{nn}$ and effective range $r_{nn}$ from cross section data ($d^2sigma/dM_{nn}/dOmega_pi$), as a function of the $nn$ invariant mass $M_{nn}$, for $pi^+$ photoproduction on the deuteron ($gamma dto pi^+nn$). The analysis is based on a $gamma dto pi^+nn$ reaction model in which realistic elementary amplitudes for $gamma pto pi^+n$, $NNto NN$, and $pi Nto pi N$ are built in. We show that $M_{nn}$ dependence (lineshape) of a ratio $R_{rm th}$, $d^2sigma/dM_{nn}/dOmega_pi$ normalized by $dsigma/dOmega_pi$ for $gamma ptopi^+ n$ and the nucleon momentum distribution inside the deuteron, at the kinematics with $theta_pi=0^circ$ and $E_gammasim 250$ MeV is particularly useful for extracting $a_{nn}$ and $r_{nn}$ from the corresponding data $R_{rm exp}$. It is found that $R_{rm exp}$ with 2% error, resolved into the $M_{nn}$ bin width of 0.04 MeV (corresponding to the $p_pi$ bin width of 0.05 MeV$/c$), can determine $a_{nn}$ and $r_{nn}$ with uncertainties of $pm 0.21$ fm and $pm 0.06$ fm, respectively, for the case of $a_{nn}=-18.9$ fm and $r_{nn}=2.75$ fm. The requirement of such narrow bin widths indicates that the momenta of the incident photon and the emitted $pi^+$ have to be measured with high resolutions. This can be achieved by utilizing virtual photons of very small $Q^2$ from electron scattering at Mainz MAMI facility. The proposed method for determining $a_{nn}$ and $r_{nn}$ from $gamma dto pi^+ nn$ has a great experimental advantage over the previous one utilizing $pi^- dtogamma nn$ for being free from the formidable task of controlling the neutron detection efficiency and its uncertainty.
We have reanalyzed the $pi ^{pm} p$ scattering data at low energy in the Coulomb-nuclear interference region as measured by the CHAOS group at TRIUMF with the aim to determine the pion-nucleon $sigma$ term. The resulting value $sigma=(44pm 12)$ MeV, while in agreement with lattice QCD calculations and compatible with other recent analyses, is significantly lower than that from the GWU-TRIUMF analysis of 2002.
In recent years, high-accuracy data for pionic hydrogen and deuterium have become the primary source of information on the pion-nucleon scattering lengths. Matching the experimental precision requires, in particular, the study of isospin-breaking corrections both in pion-nucleon and pion-deuteron scattering. We review the mechanisms that lead to the cancellation of potentially enhanced virtual-photon corrections in the pion-deuteron system, and discuss the subtleties regarding the definition of the pion-nucleon scattering lengths in the presence of electromagnetic interactions by comparing to nucleon-nucleon scattering. Based on the pi^{+/-} p channels we find for the virtual-photon-subtracted scattering lengths in the isospin basis a^{1/2}=(170.5 +/- 2.0) x 10^{-3} mpi^{-1} and a^{3/2}=(-86.5 +/- 1.8) x 10^{-3} mpi^{-1}.