Abstract: Pion photoproduction off the nucleon close to threshold is studied in covariant baryon chiral perturbation theory at O(p(3)) in the extended-on-mass-shell scheme, with the explicit inclusion of the Delta(1232) resonance using the delta counting. The theory is compared to the available data of cross sections and polarization observables for all the charge channels. Most of the necessary low-energy constants arc well known from the analysis of other processes and the comparison with data constrains some of the still unknown ones. The Delta(1232) contribution is significant in improving the agreement with data, even at the low energies considered.

Abstract: Since 2003 many new hadrons, including the lowest-lying positive-parity charm-strange mesons D*(s0) (2317) and D-s1 (2460), have been observed that do not conform with quark-model expectations. It was recently demonstrated that various puzzles in the charm-meson spectrum find a natural resolution if the SU(3) multiplets for the lightest scalar and axial-vector states, among them the D*(s0) (2317) and the D-s1 (2460), owe their existence to the nonperturbative dynamics of Goldstone-boson scattering off D-(s) and D*((s)) mesons. Most importantly the ordering of the lightest strange and nonstrange scalars becomes natural. We demonstrate for the first time that this mechanism is strongly supported by the recent high quality data on the B- -> D+ pi(-)pi(-) provided by the LHCb experiment. This implies that the lowest quark-model positive-parity charm mesons, together with their bottom counterparts, if realized in nature, do not form the ground-state multiplet. This is similar to the pattern that has been established for the scalar mesons made from light up, down, and strange quarks, where the lowest multiplet is considered to be made of states not described by the quark model. In a broader view, the hadron spectrum must be viewed as more than a collection of quark-model states.

Abstract: We conduct a study of the interaction of the (K) over bar Xi*, eta Omega(s-wave), and (K) over bar Xi(d-wave) channels within a coupled channel unitary approach where the transition potential between the (K) over bar Xi* and eta Omega channels is obtained from chiral Lagrangians. The transition potential between (K) over bar Xi*, eta Omega, and (K) over bar Xi is taken in terms of free parameters, which together with a cutoff to regularize the meson-baryon loops are fitted to the Omega(2012) data. We find that all data including the recent Belle experiment on Gamma(Omega*->pi(K) over bar Xi)/Gamma(Omega*->(K) over bar Xi), are compatible with the molecular picture stemming from meson baryon interaction of these channels.

Abstract: We present the detailed derivation of the longitudinal part of the three-gluon vertex from the Slavnov-Taylor identities that it satisfies, by means of a nonperturbative implementation of the Ball-Chiu construction; the latter, in its original form, involves the inverse gluon propagator, the ghost dressing function, and certain form factors of the ghost-gluon kernel. The main conceptual subtlety that renders this endeavor nontrivial is the infrared finiteness of the gluon propagator, and the resulting need to separate the vertex into two pieces, one that is intimately connected with the emergence of a gluonic mass scale, and one that satisfies the original set of Slavnov-Taylor identities, but with the inverse gluon propagator replaced by its “kinetic” term. The longitudinal form factors obtained by this construction are presented for arbitrary Euclidean momenta, as well as special kinematic configurations, parametrized by a single momentum. A particularly preeminent feature of the components comprising the tree-level vertex is their considerable suppression for momenta below 1 GeV, and the appearance of the characteristic “zero-crossing” in the vicinity of 100-200 MeV. Special combinations of the form factors derived with this method are compared with the results of recent large-volume lattice simulations, and are found to capture faithfully the rather complicated curves formed by the data. A similar comparison with results obtained from Schwinger-Dyson equations reveals a fair overall agreement, but with appreciable differences at intermediate energies. A variety of issues related to the distribution of the pole terms responsible for the gluon mass generation are discussed in detail, and their impact on the structure of the transverse parts is elucidated. In addition, a brief account of several theoretical and phenomenological possibilities involving these newly acquired results is presented.

Abstract: We study theoretically the BD (D) over bar and BDD systems to see if they allow for possible bound or resonant states. The three-body interaction is evaluated implementing the fixed center approximation to the Faddeev equations which considers the interaction of a D or (D) over bar particle with the components of a BD cluster, previously proved to form a bound state. We find an I(J(P)) = 1/2(0(-)) bound state for the BD (D) over bar system at an energy around 8925-8985 MeV within uncertainties, which would correspond to a bottom hidden-charm meson. In contrast, for the BDD system, which would be bottom double-charm and hence manifestly exotic, we have found hints of a bound state in the energy region 8935-8985 MeV, but the results are not stable under the uncertainties of the model, and we cannot assure, nor rule out, the possibility of a BDD three-body state.