Search

Radiofrequency-driven resonant spin rotators are routinely used as standard instruments in polarization experiments in particle and nuclear physics. Maintaining the continuous exact parametric spin-resonance condition of the equality of the spin rotator and the spin precession frequency during operation constitutes one of the challenges. We present a detailed analytic description of the impact of detuning the exact spin resonance on the vertical and the in-plane precessing components of the polarization. An important part of the formalism presented here is the consideration of experimentally relevant spin-decoherence effects. We discuss applications of the developed formalism to the interpretation of the experimental data on the novel pilot bunch approach to control the spin-resonance condition during the operation of the radiofrequency-driven Wien filter that is used as a spin rotator in the first direct deuteron electric dipole moment measurement at COSY. We emphasize the potential importance of the hitherto unexplored phase of the envelope of the horizontal polarization as an indicator of the stability of the radiofrequency-driven spin rotations in storage rings. The work presented here serves as a satellite publication to the work published concurrently on the proof of principle experiment about the so-called pilot bunch approach that was developed to provide co-magnetometry for the deuteron electric dipole moment experiment at COSY., Comment: 31 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables

In polarization experiments at storage rings, one of the challenges is to maintain the spin-resonance condition of a radio-frequency spin rotator with the spin-precessions of the orbiting particles. Time-dependent variations of the magnetic fields of ring elements lead to unwanted variations of the spin precession frequency. We report here on a solution to this problem by shielding (or masking) one of the bunches stored in the ring from the high-frequency fields of the spin rotator, so that the masked pilot bunch acts as a co-magnetometer for the other signal bunch, tracking fluctuations in the ring on a time scale of about one second. While the new method was developed primarily for searches of electric dipole moments of charged particles, it may have far-reaching implications for future spin physics facilities, such as the EIC and NICA., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures + references + supplemental material (6 pages, 2 figures, 6 tables + references)

Based on recent progress in the systematic analysis of $C$ and $CP$ violation in the light-meson sector, we calculate the $C$-odd transition amplitudes $\eta\to\pi^0\ell^+\ell^-$ and $\eta'\to\eta\ell^+\ell^-$. Focusing on long-distance contributions driven by the lowest-lying hadronic intermediate states, we work out the correlations between these beyond-the-Standard-Model signals and the Dalitz-plot asymmetries in $\eta \rightarrow \pi^0 \pi^+ \pi^-$ and $\eta' \rightarrow \eta \pi^+ \pi^- $, using dispersion theory., Comment: 35 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables; v2: section 5 revised, discussion extended, version published in JHEP

The quest for new sources of the simultaneous violation of $C$ and $CP$ symmetry was popular in the 1960s and has since been mostly neglected for more than half a century. In this work we revisit fundamental quark-level operators that break $C$ and $CP$ up to and including mass dimension 8 for flavor-conserving transitions, relying on the complete operator sets of the so-called Standard Model effective field theory and the low-energy effective field theory. With the formalism of chiral perturbation theory, we match these quark operators to light-meson physics, derive $C$- and $CP$-odd Lagrangians for several processes in the $\eta$, $\eta'$, and pion sectors, and furthermore, as a proof of principle, give estimates for the respective observables in explicit dependence of the underlying high-energy scale for new physics., Comment: 76 pages, 1 figure, 12 tables; v2: discussion extended, references added, version published in JHEP

Based on the notion that the local dark-matter field of axions or axion-like particles (ALPs) in our Galaxy induces oscillating couplings to the spins of nucleons and nuclei (via the electric dipole moment of the latter and/or the paramagnetic axion-wind effect), we establish the feasibility of a new method to search for ALPs in storage rings. Based on previous work that allows us to maintain the in-plane polarization of a stored deuteron beam for a few hundred seconds, we performed a first proof-of-principle experiment at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY to scan momenta near 970 MeV/c. This entailed a scan of the spin precession frequency. At resonance between the spin precession frequency of deuterons and the ALP-induced EDM oscillation frequency there will be an accumulation of the polarization component out of the ring plane. Since the axion frequency is unknown, the momentum of the beam and consequently the spin precession frequency were ramped to search for a vertical polarization change that would occur when the resonance is crossed. At COSY, four beam bunches with different polarization directions were used to make sure that no resonance was missed because of the unknown relative phase between the polarization precession and the axion/ALP field. A frequency window of 1.5-kHz width around the spin precession frequency of 121 kHz was scanned. We describe the experimental procedure and a test of the methodology with the help of a radiofrequency Wien filter located on the COSY ring. No ALP resonance was observed. As a consequence an upper limit of the oscillating EDM component of the deuteron as well as its axion coupling constants are provided., Comment: 27 pages, 24 figures, 7 tables, 104 references

Precision searches for the electric dipole moment of protons in storage ring experiments call for beam-position monitoring in the picometer range. We present the relevant fully quantum mechanical derivation of radiofrequency-driven collective oscillations of a beam in a storage ring., Comment: 5 pages

We investigated coherent betatron oscillations of a deuteron beam in the storage ring COSY, excited by a detuned radio-frequency Wien filter. The beam oscillations were detected by conventional beam position monitors. With the currently available apparatus, we show that oscillation amplitudes down to \SI{1}{\micro \meter} can be detected. The interpretation of the response of the stored beam to the detuned radio-frequency Wien filter is based on simulations of the beam evolution in the lattice of the ring and realistic time-dependent 3D field maps of the Wien filter. Future measurements of the electric dipole moment of protons will, however, require control of the relative position of counter-propagating beams in the sub-picometer range. Since here the stored beam can be considered as a rarefied gas of uncorrelated particles, we moreover demonstrate that the amplitudes of the zero-point (ground state) betatron oscillations of individual particles are only a factor of about 10 larger than the Heisenberg uncertainty limit. As a consequence of this, we conclude that quantum mechanics does not preclude the control of the beam centroids to sub-picometer accuracy. The smallest Lorentz force exerted on a single particle that we have been able to determine is \SI{10}{aN}., Comment: 20 pages, 16 figures

The proposed method exploits charged particles confined as a storage ring beam (proton, deuteron, possibly $^3$He) to search for an intrinsic electric dipole moment (EDM) aligned along the particle spin axis. Statistical sensitivities could approach 10$^{-29}$ e$\cdot$cm. The challenge will be to reduce systematic errors to similar levels. The ring will be adjusted to preserve the spin polarisation, initially parallel to the particle velocity, for times in excess of 15 minutes. Large radial electric fields, acting through the EDM, will rotate the polarisation from the longitudinal to the vertical direction. The slow rise in the vertical polarisation component, detected through scattering from a target, signals the EDM. The project strategy is outlined. A stepwise plan is foreseen, starting with ongoing COSY activities that demonstrate technical feasibility. Achievements to date include reduced polarization measurement errors, long horizontal plane polarization lifetimes, and control of the polarization direction through feedback from scattering measurements. The project continues with a proof-of-capability measurement (precursor experiment; first direct deuteron EDM measurement), an intermediate prototype ring (proof-of-principle; demonstrator for key technologies), and finally a high-precision electric-field storage ring., Comment: 243 pages

This project exploits charged particles confined as a storage ring beam (proton, deuteron, possibly $^3$He) to search for an intrinsic electric dipole moment (EDM, $\vec d$) aligned along the particle spin axis. Statistical sensitivities can approach $10^{-29}$~e$\cdot$cm. The challenge will be to reduce systematic errors to similar levels. The ring will be adjusted to preserve the spin polarization, initially parallel to the particle velocity, for times in excess of 15 minutes. Large radial electric fields, acting through the EDM, will rotate the polarization ($\vec d \times\vec E$). The slow rise in the vertical polarization component, detected through scattering from a target, signals the EDM. The project strategy is outlined. It foresees a step-wise plan, starting with ongoing COSY activities that demonstrate technical feasibility. Achievements to date include reduced polarization measurement errors, long horizontal-plane polarization lifetimes, and control of the polarization direction through feedback from the scattering measurements. The project continues with a proof-of-capability measurement (precursor experiment; first direct deuteron EDM measurement), an intermediate prototype ring (proof-of-principle; demonstrator for key technologies), and finally the high precision electric-field storage ring.

We report on the investigation of the rare decay $\eta\rightarrow\pi^0+\text{e}^++\text{e}^-$ which is of interest to study both $C$ violation in the electromagnetic interaction and to search for contributions from physics beyond the Standard Model, since the allowed decay via a two-photon intermediate state is strongly suppressed. The experiment has been performed using the WASA-at-COSY installation, located at the COSY accelerator of the Forschungszentrum J\"ulich, Germany. In total $3\times10^7$ events of the reaction $\text{p}+\text{d}\rightarrow{^3\text{He}}+\eta$ have been recorded at an excess energy of $Q = 59.8\,\textrm{MeV}$. Based on this data set the $C$ parity violating decay $\eta\rightarrow\pi^0+\gamma^*\rightarrow\pi^0+\textrm{e}^++\textrm{e}^-$ via a single-photon intermediate state has been searched for, resulting in new upper limits of $\Gamma\left(\eta\rightarrow\pi^0+\textrm{e}^++\textrm{e}^-\right)/ \Gamma\left(\eta\rightarrow\pi^++\pi^-+\pi^0\right) < 3.28\times10^{-5}$ and $\Gamma\left(\eta\rightarrow\pi^0+\textrm{e}^++\textrm{e}^-\right)/ \Gamma\left(\eta\rightarrow\textrm{all}\right) < 7.5\times10^{-6}\ (\textrm{CL} = 90\,\%)$, respectively., Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, submitted to PLB

We analyze the most recent data for the pion vector form factor in the timelike region, employing a model-independent approach based on dispersion theory. We confirm earlier observations about the inconsistency of different modern high-precision data sets. Excluding the BaBar data, we find an updated value for the isospin-violating branching ratio $\mathcal{B}(\omega \to \pi^+\pi^-) = (1.46\pm 0.08) \times 10^{-2}$. As a side result, we also extract an improved value for the pion vector or charge radius, $\sqrt{\langle r_V^2\rangle} = 0.6603(5)(4)\text{fm}$, where the first uncertainty is statistical as derived from the fit, while the second estimates the possible size of nonuniversal radiative corrections. In addition, we demonstrate that modern high-quality data for the decay $\eta' \to \pi^+\pi^-\gamma$ will allow for an even improved determination of the transition strength $\omega\to\pi^+\pi^-$., Comment: 11+2 pages, 7+1 figures; v3: erratum appended that rectifies erroneous treatment of the BaBar data

A nonzero electric dipole moment (EDM) of the neutron, proton, deuteron or helion, in fact, of any finite system necessarily involves the breaking of a symmetry, either by the presence of external fields (i.e. electric fields leading to the case of induced EDMs) or explicitly by the breaking of the discrete parity and time-reflection symmetries in the case of permanent EDMs. We discuss two theorems describing these phenomena and report about the cosmological motivation for an existence of CP breaking beyond what is generated by the Kobayashi-Maskawa mechanism in the Standard Model and what this might imply for the permanent electric dipole moments of the nucleon and light nuclei by estimating a window of opportunity for physics beyond what is currently known. Recent - and in the case of the deuteron even unpublished - results for the relevant matrix elements of nuclear EDM operators are presented and the relevance for disentangling underlying New Physics sources are discussed., Comment: 20 pages, chapter for the memorial book "Gerry Brown 90", final version, some typos corrected

We argue that high-quality data on the reaction $e^+e^-\to \pi^+\pi^-\eta$ will allow one to determine the doubly-virtual form factor $\eta\to \gamma^*\gamma^*$ in a model-independent way with controlled accuracy. This is an important step towards a reliable evaluation of the hadronic light-by-light scattering contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. When analyzing the existing data for $e^+e^-\to\pi^+\pi^-\eta$ for total energies squared $k^2>1\text{GeV}^2$, we demonstrate that the effect of the $a_2$ meson provides a natural breaking mechanism for the commonly employed factorization ansatz in the doubly-virtual form factor $F_{\eta\gamma^*\gamma^*}(q^2,k^2)$. However, better data are needed to draw firm conclusions., Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures; v2: major revision - author list extended, treatment of the left-hand cut corrected, discussion and references updated; v3: version published in EPJC

A new method to determine the spin tune is described and tested. In an ideal planar magnetic ring, the spin tune - defined as the number of spin precessions per turn - is given by $\nu_s = \gamma G$ (gamma is the Lorentz factor, $G$ the magnetic anomaly). For 970 MeV/c deuterons coherently precessing with a frequency of ~120 kHz in the Cooler Synchrotron COSY, the spin tune is deduced from the up-down asymmetry of deuteron carbon scattering. In a time interval of 2.6 s, the spin tune was determined with a precision of the order $10^{-8}$, and to $1 \cdot 10^{-10}$ for a continuous 100 s accelerator cycle. This renders the presented method a new precision tool for accelerator physics: controlling the spin motion of particles to high precision is mandatory, in particular, for the measurement of electric dipole moments of charged particles in a storage ring., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures

The MesonNet International Workshop was held in the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati from September the 29th to October the 1st, 2014, being the concluding meeting of the MesonNet research network within EU HadronPhysics3 project. MesonNet is a research network focused on light meson physics gathering experimentalist and theoreticians from Europe and abroad. An overview of the research projects related to the scope of the network is presented in these mini-proceedings., Comment: 93 pages, 12 figures, MesonNet 2014 International Workshop, 29/9 - 1/10 Frascati LNF INFN

A scheme to derive hadronic interactions induced by effective multi-quark terms is presented within the framework of chiral effective field theory. It is employed to work out the list of parity- and time-reversal-symmetry-violating hadronic interactions that are relevant for the computation of nuclear contributions to the electric dipole moments of the hydrogen-2, helium-3 and hydrogen-3 nuclei. We also derive the scattering and Faddeev equations required to compute electromagnetic form factors in general and electric dipole moments in particular., Comment: 69 pages, 1 figure, revised version, accepted for publication in Annals of Physics

We provide a consistent and complete calculation of the electric dipole moments of the deuteron, helion, and triton in the framework of chiral effective field theory. The CP-conserving and CP-violating interactions are treated on equal footing and we consider CP-violating one-, two-, and three-nucleon operators up to next-to-leading-order in the chiral power counting. In particular, we calculate for the first time EDM contributions induced by the CP-violating three-pion operator. We find that effects of CP-violating nucleon-nucleon contact interactions are larger than those found in previous studies based on phenomenological models for the CP-conserving nucleon-nucleon interactions. Our results which apply to any model of CP violation in the hadronic sector can be used to test various scenarios of CP violation. As examples, we study the implications of our results on the QCD $\theta$-term and the minimal left-right symmetric model., Comment: 23 pages, 3 figures, 4 tables, corresponds to the published version (including erratum - see Appendix C)

The electric dipole moments of the nucleon and light ions are discussed and strategies for disentangling the underlying sources of CP violation beyond the Kobayashi-Maskawa quark-mixing mechanism of the Standard Model are indicated. Contribution to "45 years of nuclear theory at Stony Brook: a tribute to Gerald E. Brown"., Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, contribution to "45 years of nuclear theory at Stony Brook: a tribute to Gerald E. Brown"

We show that the proposed measurements of the electric dipole moments of light nuclei in storage rings would put strong constraints on models of flavor-diagonal CP violation. Our analysis is exemplified by a comparison of the Standard Model including the QCD theta term, the minimal left-right symmetric model, a specific version of the so-called aligned two-Higgs doublet model, and briefly the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model. By using effective field theory techniques we demonstrate to what extend measurements of the electric dipole moments of the nucleons, the deuteron, and helion could discriminate between these scenarios. We discuss how measurements of electric dipole moments of other systems relate to the light-nuclear measurements., Comment: Published version

A dispersion integral is derived that connects data on $\eta\to \pi^+\pi^-\gamma$ to the $\eta\to \gamma\gamma^*$ transition form factor. A detailed analysis of the uncertainties is provided. We find for the slope of the $\eta$ transition form factor at the origin $b_\eta = (2.05 {}^{+0.22}_{-0.10})\, {\rm GeV}^{-2}$. Using an additional, plausible assumption, one finds for the corresponding slope of the $\eta'$ transition form factor, $b_{\eta'} = (1.58 {}^{+0.15}_{-0.08})\, {\rm GeV}^{-2}$. Both values are consistent with all recent data, but differ from some previous theoretical analyses., Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables (with extended discussion of the isoscalar contribution to the transition form factor)

The presently world largest data sample of pi0 --> gamma e+e- decays containing nearly 5E5 events was collected using the WASA detector at COSY. A search for a dark photon U produced in the pi0 --> gamma U --> gamma e+e- decay from the pp-->pp\pi^0 reaction was carried out. An upper limit on the square of the U-gamma mixing strength parameter epsilon^2 of 5e-6 at 90% CL was obtained for the mass range 20 MeV

The two-nucleon contributions to the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the deuteron, induced by the QCD $\theta$-term, are calculated in the framework of effective field theory up-to-and-including next-to-next-to-leading order. In particular we find for the difference of the deuteron EDM and the sum of proton and neutron EDM induced by the QCD $\theta$-term a value of $(-5.4\pm 3.9)\,\bar\theta\times 10^{-4}\, e$ fm. The by far dominant uncertainty comes from the CP- and isospin-violating $\pi NN$ coupling constant., Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, EPJ style, discussion improved, conclusions unchanged

These are the proceedings of the second PrimeNet Workshop, held in September 26-28, 2011, at the campus of Forschungszentrum J\"{u}lich, Germany. This workshop is part of the activities in the project "Study of Strongly Interacting Matter" (acronym HadronPhysics2), which is an integrating activity of the Seventh Framework Program of EU. This HP2 project contains several activities, one of them being the network PrimeNet having the focus on Meson Physics in Low-Energy QCD. This network is created to exchange information on experimental and theoretical ongoing activities on mainly eta and eta-prime physics at different European accelerator facilities and institutes., Comment: 149 pages, 47 contributions; Editors: D.Grzonka, B. H\"oistad, C. F. Redmer, S. Schadmand

We calculate the branching ratios of the yet unmeasured eta' decays into four pions, based on a combination of chiral perturbation theory and vector-meson dominance. The decays eta' --> 2(pi+ pi-) and eta' --> pi+ pi- 2pi0 are P-wave dominated and can largely be thought to proceed via two rho resonances; we predict branching fractions of (1.0+-0.3)*10^-4 and (2.4+-0.7)*10^-4, respectively, not much lower than the current experimental upper limits. The decays eta' --> 4pi0 and eta --> 4pi0, in contrast, are D-wave driven as long as conservation of CP symmetry is assumed, and are significantly further suppressed; any experimental evidence for the decay eta --> 4pi0 could almost certainly be interpreted as a signal of CP violation. We also calculate the CP-violating amplitudes for eta' --> 4pi0 and eta --> 4pi0 induced by the QCD theta-term., Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures; references updated, version published in Phys. Rev. D

We present a new, model-independent method to analyze radiative decays of mesons to a vector, isovector pair of pions of invariant mass square below the first significant pion-pion threshold in the vector channel. It is based on a combination of chiral perturbation theory and dispersion theory. This allows for a controlled inclusion of resonance physics without the necessity to involve vector meson dominance explicitly. As an example, the method is applied to an analysis of the reactions eta -> pi+ pi- gamma and eta'->pi+ pi- gamma., Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures

An exclusive measurement of the decay eta --> pi+ pi- gamma has been performed at the WASA facility at COSY. The eta mesons were produced in the fusion reaction pd --> 3He X at a proton beam momentum of 1.7 GeV/c. Efficiency corrected differential distributions have been extracted based on 13340\pm140 events after background subtraction. The measured pion angular distribution is consistent with a relative p-wave of the two-pion system, whereas the measured photon energy spectrum was found at variance with the simplest gauge invariant matrix element of eta --> pi+ pi- gamma. A parameterization of the data can be achieved by the additional inclusion of the empirical pion vector form factor multiplied by a first-order polynomial in the squared invariant mass of the pi+ pi- system., Comment: 7 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Phys.Lett.B

We report on a high-statistics measurement of the basic double pionic fusion reaction $pn \to d\pi^0\pi^0$ over the energy region of the so-called ABC effect, a pronounced low-mass enhancement in the $\pi\pi$-invariant mass spectrum. The measurements were performed with the WASA detector setup at COSY. The data reveal the ABC effect to be associated with a Lorentzian shaped energy dependence in the integral cross section. The observables are consistent with a resonance with $I(J^P) =0(3^+)$ in both $pn$ and $\Delta\Delta$ systems. Necessary further tests of the resonance interpretation are discussed.

Patterns of chiral symmetry violation and tests of the conservation of the fundamental C, P and CP symmetries are key physics issues in studies of the pi0, eta and eta' meson decays. These tests include searches for rare or forbidden decays and searches for asymmetries among the decay products in the not-so-rare decays. Some examples for the rare decays are eta-->2pi, eta-->4pi0 (CP tests), decays into an odd number of photons (e.g., eta-->3g) and the decay eta-->pi0e+e- (C tests). The experimental studies of the pi0, eta and eta' meson decays are carried out at four European accelerator research facilities: KLOE/KLOE-2 at DAFNE (Frascati), Crystal Ball at MAMI (Mainz), WASA at COSY (J\"ulich), Crystal Barrel at ELSA (Bonn)., Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, proceedings of Symposium on Prospects in the Physics of Discrete Symmetries, DISCRETE 2010, 6 - 11 December, Rome; v2: added references

The neutron-proton mass difference in (isospin asymmetric) nuclear matter and finite nuclei is studied in the framework of a medium-modified Skyrme model. The proposed effective Lagrangian incorporates both the medium influence of the surrounding nuclear environment on the single nucleon properties and an explicit isospin-breaking effect in the mesonic sector. Energy-dependent charged and neutral pion optical potentials in the s- and p-wave channels are included as well. The present approach predicts that the neutron-proton mass difference is mainly dictated by its strong part and that it markedly decreases in neutron matter. Furthermore, the possible interplay between the effective nucleon mass in finite nuclei and the Nolen-Schiffer anomaly is discussed. In particular, we find that a correct description of the properties of mirror nuclei leads to a stringent restriction of possible modifications of the nucleon's effective mass in nuclei., Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, presentation at the 19th Int. IUPAP Conf. on Few-Body Problems in Physics (Aug.31-Sep.5, 2009, Univ.of Bonn, Germany)

The neutron-proton mass difference in finite nuclei is studied in the framework of a medium-modified Skyrme model. The possible interplay between the effective nucleon mass in finite nuclei and the Nolen-Schiffer anomaly is discussed. In particular, we find that a correct description of the properties of mirror nuclei leads to a stringent restriction of possible modifications of the nucleon's effective mass in nuclei., Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures (some typos corrected and references added)

We show that Casimir-force calculations for a finite number of non-overlapping obstacles can be mapped onto quantum-mechanical billiard-type problems which are characterized by the scattering of a fictitious point particle off the very same obstacles. With the help of a modified Krein trace formula the genuine/finite part of the Casimir energy is determined as the energy-weighted integral over the log-determinant of the multi-scattering matrix of the analog billiard problem. The formalism is self-regulating and inherently shows that the Casimir energy is governed by the infrared end of the multi-scattering phase shifts or spectrum of the fluctuating field. The calculation is exact and in principle applicable for any separation(s) between the obstacles. In practice, it is more suited for large- to medium-range separations. We report especially about the Casimir energy of a fluctuating massless scalar field between two spheres or a sphere and a plate under Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. But the formalism can easily be extended to any number of spheres and/or planes in three or arbitrary dimensions, with a variety of boundary conditions or non-overlapping potentials/non-ideal reflectors., Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, plenary talk at QFEXT07, Leipzig, September 2007, some typos corrected

Isospin-breaking effects in the baryonic sector are studied in the framework of a medium-modified Skyrme model. The neutron-proton mass difference in infinite, asymmetric nuclear matter is discussed. In order to describe the influence of the nuclear environment on the skyrmions, we include energy-dependent charged and neutral pion optical potentials in the s- and p-wave channels. The present approach predicts that the neutron-proton mass difference is mainly dictated by its strong part and that it strongly decreases in neutron matter., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures; some new references added

In recent years a two-scale expansion was established to study reactions of the type N N -> N N pi within chiral perturbation theory. Then the diagrams of some subclasses that are invariant under the choice of the pion field no longer appear at the same chiral order. In this letter we show that the proposed expansion still leads to well defined results. We also discuss the appropriate choice of the heavy baryon propagator., Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, minor corrections

Isospin-breaking effects in nuclear matter are studied in the framework of a medium-modified Skyrme model. The proposed effective Lagrangian incorporates both the medium influence of the surrounding nuclear environment on the single nucleon properties and an explicit isospin-breaking effect in the mesonic sector. The approach predicts that the neutron-proton mass difference decreases in isospin-symmetric nuclear matter but by a very small amount only., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, revised version

The scattering determinant for the scattering of waves from several obstacles is considered in the case of elastic solids with voids. The multi-scattering determinant displays contributions from periodic ray-splitting orbits. A discussion of the weights of such orbits is presented., Comment: MMWP05 conference proceeding. 10 pages, 3 figures

We report on a new force that acts on cavities (literally empty regions of space) when they are immersed in a background of non-interacting fermionic matter fields. The interaction follows from the obstructions to the (quantum mechanical) motions of the fermions caused by the presence of bubbles or other (heavy) particles in the Fermi sea, as, for example, nuclei in the neutron sea in the inner crust of a neutron star or superfluid grains in a normal Fermi liquid. The effect resembles the traditional Casimir interaction between metallic mirrors in the vacuum. However, the fluctuating electromagnetic fields are replaced by fermionic matter fields. We show that the fermionic Casimir problem for a system of spherical cavities can be solved exactly, since the calculation can be mapped onto a quantum mechanical billiard problem of a point-particle scattered off a finite number of non-overlapping spheres or disks. Finally we generalize the map method to other Casimir systems, especially to the case of a fluctuating scalar field between two spheres or a sphere and a plate under Dirichlet boundary conditions., Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, submitted to the Proceedings of QFEXT'05, Barcelona, Sept. 5-9, 2005

We present a simple formalism for the evaluation of the Casimir energy for two spheres and a sphere and a plane, in case of a scalar fluctuating field, valid at any separations. We compare the exact results with various approximation schemes and establish when such schemes become useful. The formalism can be easily extended to any number of spheres and/or planes in three or arbitrary dimensions, with a variety of boundary conditions or non-overlapping potentials/non-ideal reflectors., Comment: published version; 13 pages, 2 figures; add. material (in Sec.VI) and corrections (esp. in App.B)

These are the proceedings of the workshop on ``Effective Field Theories in Nuclear, Particle and Atomic Physics'' held at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft, Bad Honnef, Germany from December 13 to 17, 2005. The workshop concentrated on Effective Field Theory in many contexts. A first part was concerned with Chiral Perturbation Theory in its various settings and explored strongly its use in relation with lattice QCD. The second part consisted of progress in effective field theories in systems with one, two or more nucleons as well as atomic physics. Included are a short contribution per talk., Comment: 56 pages, mini proceedings of the 337. WE-Heraeus-Seminar "Effective Field Theories in Nuclear Particle and Atomic Physics," Physikzentrum Bad Honnef, Bad Honnef, Germany, December 13 -- 17, 2004