Using the solutions of the Bethe-Salpeter equation in Minkowski space for bound and scattering states found in previous works, we calculate the transition electromagnetic form factor describing the electro-disintegration of a bound system.
For a relativistic system of two scalar particles, we find the Bethe-Salpeter amplitude in Minkowski space and use it to compute the electromagnetic form factor. The comparison with Euclidean space calculation shows that the Wick rotation in the form
factor integral induces errors which increase with the momentum transfer Q^2. At JLab domain (Q^2=10 GeV^2/c^2), they are about 30%. Static approximation results in an additional and more significant error. On the contrary, the form factor calculated in light-front dynamics is almost indistinguishable from the Minkowski space one.
Recently developed methods allowing to find the solutions of the Bethe-Salpeter equations in Minkowski space, both for the bound and scattering states, are reviewed. For the bound states, one obtains the bound state mass and the corresponding BS ampl
itude. For the scattering states, the phase shifts (complex above the meson creation threshold) and the half-off-shell BS amplitude are found. Using these solutions, the elastic and transition electromagnetic form factors are calculated.
The transition form factor for electrodisintegration of a two-body bound system is calculated in the Bethe-Salpeter framework. For the initial (bound) and the final (scattering) states, we use our solutions of the Bethe-Salpeter equation in Minkowski
space which were first obtained recently. The gauge invariance, which manifests itself in the conservation of the transition electromagnetic current Jq = 0, is studied numerically. It results from a cancellation between the plane wave and the final state interaction contributions. This cancellation takes place only if the initial bound state BS amplitude, the final scattering state and the operator of electromagnetic current are strictly consistent with each other, that is if they are found in the same dynamical framework. A reliable result for the transition form factor can be obtained in this case only.
The off-mass shell scattering amplitude, satisfying the Bethe-Salpeter equation for spinless particles in Minkowski space with the ladder kernel, is computed for the first time.
We review a method to directly solve the Bethe-Salpeter equation in Minkowski space, both for bound and scattering states. It is based on a proper treatment of the many singularities which appear in the kernel and propagators. The off-mass shell scat
tering amplitude for spinless particles interacting by a one boson exchange was computed for the first time. Using our Minkowski space solutions for the initial (bound) and final (scattering) states, we calculate elastic and transition (bound to scattering state) electromagnetic form factors. The conservation of the transition electromagnetic current J.q=0, verified numerically, confirms the validity of our solutions.