Abstract: The charged-current double differential neutrino cross section, measured by the MiniBooNE Collaboration, has been analyzed using a microscopical model that accounts for, among other nuclear effects, long range nuclear (RPA) correlations and multinucleon scattering. We find that MiniBooNE data are fully compatible with the world average of the nucleon axial mass in contrast with several previous analyses which have suggested an anomalously large value. We also discuss the reliability of the algorithm used to estimate the neutrino energy.

Abstract: The properties of strange (K, (K) over bar and (K) over bar*) and open-charm (D, (D) over bar and D*) mesons in dense matter are studied using a unitary approach in coupled channels for meson-baryon scattering. In the strangeness sector, the interaction with nucleons always comes through vector-meson exchange, which is evaluated by chiral and hidden gauge Lagrangians. For the interaction of charmed mesons with nucleons we extend the SU(3) Weinberg-Tomozawa Lagrangian to incorporate spin-flavor symmetry and implement a suitable flavor symmetry breaking. The in-medium solution for the scattering amplitude accounts for Pauli blocking effects and meson self-energies. On one hand, we obtain the K, (K) over bar and (K) over bar* spectral functions in the nuclear medium and study their behaviour at finite density, temperature and momentum. We also make an estimate of the transparency ratio of the gamma A -> K+ K*(-) A' reaction, which we propose as a tool to detect in-medium modifications of the (K) over bar* meson. On the other hand, in the charm sector, several resonances with negative parity are generated dynamically by the s-wave interaction between pseudoscalar and vector meson multiplets with 1/2(+) and 3/2(+) baryons. The properties of these states in matter are analyzed and their influence on the open-charm meson spectral functions is studied. We finally discuss the possible formation of D-mesic nuclei at FAIR energies.

Abstract: We study charmed and strange odd-parity baryon resonances that are generated dynamically by a unitary baryon-meson coupled-channels model which incorporates heavy-quark spin symmetry. This is accomplished by extending the SU(3) Weinberg-Tomozawa chiral Lagrangian to SU(8) spin-flavor symmetry plus a suitable symmetry breaking. The model generates resonances with negative parity from the s-wave interaction of pseudoscalar and vector mesons with 1/2(+) and 3/2(+) baryons in all the isospin, spin, and strange sectors with one, two, and three charm units. Some of our results can be identified with experimental data from several facilities, such as the CLEO, Belle, or BaBar Collaborations, as well as with other theoretical models, whereas others do not have a straightforward identification and require the compilation of more data and also a refinement of the model. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: We study the f(+) form factor for the semileptonic (B) over bar (s) -> K+ l(-) (V) over bar (l) decay in a constituent quark model. The valence quark estimate is supplemented with the contribution from the (B) over bar* pole that dominates the high q(2) region. We use a multiply-subtracted Omnes dispersion relation to extend the quark model predictions from its region of applicability near q(max)(2) = (M-Bs – M-K)(2) similar to 23.75 GeV2 to all q(2) values accessible in the physical decay. To better constrain the dependence of f(+) on q(2), we fit the subtraction constants to a combined input from previous light cone sum rule by Duplancic and Melic (2008) [11] and the present quark model results. From this analysis, we obtain Gamma ( (B) over bar (s) -> K+ l(-) (V) over bar (l)) = (5.47(-0.46)(+0.54)) vertical bar Vub vertical bar(2) x 10(-9) MeV, which is about 10% and 20% higher than the predictions based on Lattice QCD and QCD light cone sum rules respectively. The former predictions, for both the form factor f(+) (q(2)) and the differential decay width, lie within the 1 sigma band of our estimated uncertainties for all q(2) values accessible in the physical decay, except for a quite small region very close to q(max)(2). Differences with the light cone sum results for the form factor f(+) are larger than 20% in the region above q(2) = 15 GeV2.

Abstract: We investigate the structure and formation of charmed meson--nucleus systems, with the aim of understanding the charmed meson-nucleon interactions and the properties of the charmed mesons in the nuclear medium. The (D) over bar mesic nuclei are of special interest, since they have tiny decay widths due to the absence of strong decays for the (D) over barN pair. Employing an effective model for the (D) over barN and DN interactions and solving the Klein-Gordon equation for (D) over bar and D in finite nuclei, we find that the D0-11B system has 1s and 2p mesic nuclear states and that the D0-11B system binds in a 1s state. In view of the forthcoming experiments by the PANDA and CBM Collaborations at the future FAIR facility and the J-PARC upgrade, we calculate the formation spectra of the [(D) over bar B--11] and [D-0-B-11] mesic nuclei for an antiproton beam on a C-12 target. Our results suggest that it is possible to observe the 2p D- mesic nuclear state with an appropriate experimental setup.