Abstract: By solving the Muskhelishvili-Omnes integral equations, the scalar form factors of the semileptonic heavy meson decays D -> pi(l) over bar nu(l), D -> (K) over bar(l) over bar nu(l), (K) over bar -> pi(l) over bar nu(l) and (B) over bar (s) -> Kl (nu) over bar (l) are simultaneously studied. As input, we employ unitarized heavy meson-Goldstone boson chiral coupled-channel amplitudes for the energy regions not far from thresholds, while, at high energies, adequate asymptotic conditions are imposed. The scalar form factors are expressed in terms of Omn\`es matrices multiplied by vector polynomials, which contain some undetermined dispersive subtraction constants. We make use of heavy quark and chiral symmetries to constrain these constants, which are fitted to lattice QCD results both in the charm and the bottom sectors, and in this latter sector to the light-cone sum rule predictions close to q(2)=0 as well. We find a good simultaneous description of the scalar form factors for the four semileptonic decay reactions. From this combined fit, and taking advantage that scalar and vector form factors are equal at q(2)=0, we obtain |V-cd| = 0.244 +/- 0.022, |V-cs| = 0.945 +/- 0.041 and |V-ub| = (4.3 +/- 0.7)x10(-3) for the involved Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix elements. In addition, we predict the following vector form factors at q(2) = 0: |f(+)(D ->eta)(0)| = 0.01 +/- 0.05, |f(+)(Ds ->eta)(0)| = 0.50 +/- 0.08, |f(+)(Ds ->eta)(0)| = 0.73 +/- 0.03 and|f(+)((B) over bar ->eta)(0)| = 0.82 +/- 0.08, which might serve as alternatives to determine the CKM elements when experimental measurements of the corresponding differential decay rates become available. Finally, we predict the different form factors above the q(2)-regions accessible in the semileptonic decays, up to moderate energies amenable to be described using the unitarized coupled-channel chiral approach.

Abstract: The study of pion production in nuclei is important for signal and background determinations in current and future neutrino oscillation experiments. The first step, however, is to understand the pion production reactions at the free nucleon level. We present an exhaustive study of the charged-current and neutral-current neutrino and antineutrino pion production off nucleons, paying special attention to the angular distributions of the outgoing pion. We show, using general arguments, that parity violation and time-reversal odd correlations in the weak differential cross sections are generated from the interference between different contributions to the hadronic current that are not relatively real. Next, we present a detailed comparison of three state-of-the-art, microscopic models for electroweak pion production off nucleons, and we also confront their predictions with polarized electron data, as a test of the vector content of these models. We also illustrate the importance of carrying out a comprehensive test at the level of outgoing pion angular distributions, going beyond comparisons done for partially integrated cross sections, where model differences cancel to a certain extent. Finally, we observe that all charged and neutral current distributions show sizable anisotropies, and identify channels for which parity-violating effects are clearly visible. Based on the above results, we conclude that the use of isotropic distributions for the pions in the center of mass of the final pion-nucleon system, as assumed by some of the Monte Carlo event generators, needs to be improved by incorporating the findings of microscopic calculations.

Abstract: In this paper we develop a formalism to evaluate wave functions in momentum and coordinate space for the resonant states dynamically generated in a unitary coupled channel approach. The on-shell approach for the scattering matrix, commonly used, is also obtained in quantum mechanics with a separable potential, which allows one to write wave functions in a trivial way. We develop useful relationships among the couplings of the dynamically generated resonances to the different channels and the wave functions at the origin. The formalism provides an intuitive picture of the resonances in the coupled channel approach, as bound states of one bound channel, which decays into open ones. It also provides an insight and practical rules for evaluating couplings of the resonances to external sources and how to deal with final state interaction in production processes. As an application of the formalism we evaluate the wave functions of the two A(1405) states in the pi Sigma, (K) over barN, and other coupled channels. It also offers a practical way to study three-body systems when two of them cluster into a resonance.