Abstract: In this article, we derive the integral equation that controls the momentum dependence of the effective gluon mass in the Landau gauge. This is accomplished by means of a well-defined separation of the corresponding “one-loop dressed” Schwinger-Dyson equation into two distinct contributions, one associated with the mass and one with the standard kinetic part of the gluon. The entire construction relies on the existence of a longitudinally coupled vertex of nonperturbative origin, which enforces gauge invariance in the presence of a dynamical mass. The specific structure of the resulting mass equation, supplemented by the additional requirement of a positive-definite gluon mass, imposes a rather stringent constraint on the derivative of the gluonic dressing function, which is comfortably satisfied by the large-volume lattice data for the gluon propagator, both for SU(2) and SU(3). The numerical treatment of the mass equation, under some simplifying assumptions, is presented for the aforementioned gauge groups, giving rise to a gluon mass that is a nonmonotonic function of the momentum. Various theoretical improvements and possible future directions are briefly discussed.

Abstract: Dynamical gluon mass generation has been traditionally plagued with seagull divergences, and all regularization procedures proposed over the years yield finite but scheme-dependent gluon masses. In this work we show how such divergences can be eliminated completely by virtue of a characteristic identity, valid in dimensional regularization. The ability to trigger the aforementioned identity hinges crucially on the particular Ansatz employed for the three-gluon vertex entering into the Schwinger-Dyson equation governing the gluon propagator. The use of the appropriate three-gluon vertex brings about an additional advantage: one obtains two separate (but coupled) integral equations, one for the effective charge and one for the gluon mass. This system of integral equations has a unique solution, which unambiguously determines these two quantities. Most notably, the effective charge freezes in the infrared, and the gluon mass displays power-law running in the ultraviolet, in agreement with earlier considerations.

Abstract: We propose an effective Lagrangian for the coupling of the neutral pion with gluons whose strength is determined by a low-energy theorem. We calculate the contribution of the gluonic components arising from this interaction to the pion transition form factor gamma*gamma* -> pi(0) using the instanton liquid model to describe the quantum chromodynamics vacuum. We find that this contribution is large and might explain the anomalous behavior of the form factor at large virtuality of one of the photons, a feature which was recently discovered by the BABAR Collaboration.

Abstract: We describe non-standard contributions to semileptonic processes in a model independent way in terms of in SU(2)(L) x U(1)(Y) invariant effective lagrangian at the weak scale, front which we derive the low-energy effective lagrangian governing muon and beta decays. We find that the deviation from Cabibbo universality, Delta(CKM) equivalent to vertical bar V-ud vertical bar(2) + vertical bar V-us vertical bar(2) + vertical bar V-ub vertical bar(2) – 1, receives contributions from four effective operators. The phenomenological bound Delta(CKM) = (-1 +/- 6) x 10(-4) provides strong constraints on all four operators, corresponding to art effective scale Lambda > 11 TeV (90% CL). Depending on the operator, this constraint is at the same level or better then the Z pole observables. Conversely, precision electroweak constraints alone would allow universality violations as large as Delta(CKM) = -0.01 (90% CL). An observed Delta(CKM) not equal 0 at this level Could be explained in terms of a single four-fermion operator which is relatively poorly constrained by electroweak precision measurements.

Abstract: The surface detector array of the Pierre Auger Observatory consists of 1600 water-Cherenkov detectors, for the study of extensive air showers (EAS) generated by ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. We describe the trigger hierarchy, from the identification of candidate showers at the level of a single detector, amongst a large background (mainly random single cosmic ray muons), up to the selection of real events and the rejection of random coincidences. Such trigger makes the surface detector array fully efficient for the detection of EAS with energy above 3 x 10(18) eV, for all zenith angles between 0 degrees and 60 degrees, independently of the position of the impact point and of the mass of the primary particle. In these range of energies and angles, the exposure of the surface array can be determined purely on the basis of the geometrical acceptance.