Abstract: We derive relations between finite-volume matrix elements and infinite-volume decay amplitudes, for processes with three spinless, degenerate and either identical or non-identical particles in the final state. This generalizes the Lellouch-Luscher relation for two-particle decays and provides a strategy for extracting three-hadron decay amplitudes using lattice QCD. Unlike for two particles, even in the simplest approximation, one must solve integral equations to obtain the physical decay amplitude, a consequence of the nontrivial finite-state interactions. We first derive the result in a simplified theory with three identical particles, and then present the generalizations needed to study phenomenologically relevant three-pion decays. The specific processes we discuss are the CP-violating K -> 3 pi weak decay, the isospin-breaking eta -> 3 pi QCD transition, and the electromagnetic gamma (*) -> 3 pi amplitudes that enter the calculation of the hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to muonic g – 2.

Abstract: We study theoretically the effects of finite volume for pi pi scattering in order to extract physical observables for infinite volume from lattice QCD. We compare three different approaches for pi pi scattering (lowest order Bethe-Salpeter approach, N/D and inverse amplitude methods) with the aim of studying the effects of the finite size of the box in the potential of the different theories, specially the left-hand cut contribution through loops in the crossed t, u-channels. We quantify the error made by neglecting these effects in usual extractions of physical observables from lattice ()CD spectrum. We conclude that for pi pi phase-shifts in the scalar-isoscalar channel up to 800 MeV this effect is negligible for box sizes bigger than 2,5m(pi)(-1) and of the order of 5% at around 1.5 – 2m(pi)(-1). For isospin 2 the finite size effects can reach up to 10% for that energy. We also quantify the error made when using the standard Luscher method to extract physical observables from lattice QCD, which is widely used in the literature but is an approximation of the one used in the present work.

Abstract: We present a generalization of the relativistic, finite-volume, three-particle quantization condition for non-identical pions in isosymmetric QCD. The resulting formalism allows one to use discrete finite-volume energies, determined using lattice QCD, to constrain scattering amplitudes for all possible values of two- and three-pion isospin. As for the case of identical pions considered previously, the result splits into two steps: the first defines a non-perturbative function with roots equal to the allowed energies, E-n(L), in a given cubic volume with side-length L. This function depends on an intermediate three-body quantity, denoted K-df;3, which can thus be constrained from lattice QCD input. The second step is a set of integral equations relating K-df,K-3 to the physical scattering amplitude, M-3. Both of the key relations, E-n(L) <-> K-df,K-3 and K-df,K-3 <-> M-3, are shown to be block-diagonal in the basis of definite three-pion isospin, I-pi pi pi, so that one in fact recovers four independent relations, corresponding to I-pi pi pi = 0; 1; 2; 3. We also provide the generalized threshold expansion of K-df,K-3 for all channels, as well as parameterizations for all three-pion resonances present for I-pi pi pi = 0 and I-pi pi pi = 1. As an example of the utility of the generalized formalism, we present a toy implementation of the quantization condition for I-pi pi pi = 0, focusing on the quantum numbers of the omega and h(1) resonances.