Abstract: Hadronic matrix elements of local four-quark operators play a central role in non-leptonic kaon decays, while vacuum matrix elements involving the same kind of operators appear in inclusive dispersion relations, such as those relevant in tau -decay analyses. Using an SU(3)(L) circle times SU(3)(R) decomposition of the operators, we derive generic relations between these matrix elements, extending well-known results that link observables in the two different sectors. Two relevant phenomenological applications are presented. First, we determine the electroweak-penguin contribution to the kaon CP-violating ratio epsilon '/epsilon, using the measured hadronic spectral functions in tau decay. Second, we fit our SU(3) dynamical parameters to the most recent lattice data on K -> pi pi matrix elements. The comparison of this numerical fit with results from previous analytical approaches provides an interesting anatomy of the Delta I = 1/2 enhancement, confirming old suggestions about its underlying dynamical origin.

Abstract: A Higgsless electroweak theory may be populated by spin-1 resonances around E similar to 1 TeV as a consequence of a new strong interacting sector, frequently proposed as a tool to smear the high-energy behaviour of scattering amplitudes, for instance, elastic gauge boson scattering. Information on those resonances, if they exist, must be contained in the low-energy couplings of the electroweak chiral effective theory. Using the facts that: i) the scattering of longitudinal gauge bosons, W-L, Z(L), can be well described in the high-energy region (E >> M-W) by the scattering of the corresponding Goldstone bosons (equivalence theorem) and ii) the zeros of the scattering amplitude carry the information on the heavier spectrum that has been integrated out; we employ the O(p(4)) electroweak chiral Lagrangian to identify the parameter space region of the low-energy couplings where vector resonances may arise. An estimate of their masses is also provided by our method.