Abstract: Neutral-current photon emission reactions with nucleons and nuclei are studied. These processes are important backgrounds for nu(mu) -> nu(e) ((nu) over bar (mu) -> (nu) over bar (e)) appearance oscillation experiments where electromagnetic showers instigated by electrons (positrons) and photons are not distinguishable. At intermediate energies, these reactions are dominated by the weak excitation of the Delta(1232) resonance and its subsequent decay into N gamma. There are also nonresonant contributions that, close to threshold, are fully determined by the effective chiral Lagrangian of strong interactions. In addition, we have also included mechanisms mediated by nucleon excitations (N*) from the second resonance region above the Delta(1232). From these states, the contribution of the D-13 N*(1520) turns out to be sizable for (anti) neutrino energies above 1.5 GeV. We have extended the model to nuclear targets taking into account Pauli blocking, Fermi motion, and the in-medium Delta resonance broadening. We present our predictions for both the incoherent and coherent channels, showing the relevance of the nuclear corrections. We also discuss the target mass dependence of the cross sections. This study is important to reduce systematic effects in neutrino oscillation experiments.

Abstract: We present a calculation of the gamma d -> K(+)K(-)np reaction with the aim of seeing whether the experimental peak observed in the K(+)n invariant mass around 1526 MeV, from where evidence for the existence of the Theta(+) has been claimed, can be obtained without this resonance as a consequence of the particular dynamics of the process and the cuts applied in the experimental setup. We find that a combination of facts leads indeed to a peak around 1530 MeV for the invariant mass of K(+)n without the need to invoke any new resonance around this energy. This, together with statistical fluctuations that we prove to be large with the statistics of the experiment, is likely to produce the narrower peak observed there.

Abstract: The anti-D meson self-energy is evaluated self-consistently, using unitarized coupled-channel theory, by computing the in-medium meson-baryon T matrix in the C = -1, S = 0 sector. The heavy pseudo-scalar and heavy vector mesons, (D) over bar and (D) over bar*, are treated on equal footing as required by heavy-quark spin symmetry. Results for energy levels and widths of (D) over bar (-) mesic atoms in C-12, Ca-40, Sn-118, and Pb-208 are presented. The spectrum contains states of atomic and of nuclear types for all nuclei. (D) over bar (0)-nucleus bound states are also obtained. We find that, after electromagnetic and nuclear cascade, these systems end up with the (D) over bar bound in the nucleus, either as a meson or as part of an exotic (D) over barN (pentaquark) loosely bound state.

Abstract: We study the effects of the tensor force, present in modern effective nucleon-nucleon interactions, in the spin instability of nuclear and neutron matter. Stability conditions of the system against certain very low energy excitation modes are expressed in terms of Landau parameters. It is shown that in the spin case, the stability conditions are equivalent to the condition derived from the spin susceptibility, which is obtained as the zero-frequency and long-wavelength limit of the spin response function calculated in the random phase approximation. Zero-range forces of the Skyrme type and finite-range forces of M3Y and Gogny type are analyzed. It is shown that for the Skyrme forces considered, the tensor effects are sizable and tend to increase the spin instability, which appears at smaller densities than in the case that the tensor is not taken into account. On the contrary, the tensor contribution of finite-range forces to the spin susceptibility is small or negligible for both isospin channels of symmetric nuclear matter as well as for neutron matter. A comparison with the spin susceptibility provided by realistic interactions is also presented.

Abstract: We use recent data that show a narrow peak around root s = 2.37 GeV in the pn -> d pi(+)pi(-) cross section, with about double strength at the peak than in the analogous pn -> d pi(0)pi(0) reaction, and, assuming that it is due to the excitation of a dibaryon resonance, we evaluate the cross section for the pn -> pn pi(+)pi(-) reaction, with the final pn unbound but with the same quantum numbers as the deuteron. We use accurate techniques to determine the final state interaction in the case of the pn forming a deuteron or a positive energy state, which allow us to get the pn -> pn pi(+)pi(-) cross section with pn in I = 0 and S = 1, that turns out to be quite close or saturates the experimental pn -> pn pi(+)pi(-) total cross section around root s = 2.37 GeV, depending on the angular momentum assumed. This poses problems to the assumption of the dibaryon hypothesis, which could be rendered more restrictive with future precise data on the pn -> pn pi(+)pi(-) reaction.