[Paper Review] Towards a relativistic formulation of baryon-baryon interactions in chiral perturbation theory

Xiu-Lei Ren, Kai‐Wen Li+1 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jan 2, 2018

Nuclear physics research studies4 citations

TL;DR

This paper presents a relativistic formulation of baryon-baryon interactions within covariant chiral perturbation theory, constructing leading-order nucleon-nucleon and hyperon-nucleon interactions by fitting low-energy constants to scattering data. It demonstrates that these relativistic interactions achieve fitting quality comparable to next-to-leading-order non-relativistic chiral forces, establishing the technical feasibility of relativistic baryon-baryon interactions for ab initio nuclear structure and reaction studies.

ABSTRACT

介绍了两个近期基于协变手征微扰理论构建领头阶核子-核子和超子-核子相互作用的工作。理论中未知的低能常数通过拟合核子-核子和超子-核子散射实验数据确定。分析发现，在对散射数据的描述上，领头阶相对论手征力可以媲美次领头阶非相对论手征核力。研究表明，构建相对论手征重子-重子相互作用技术上是可行的。得到的相互作用不仅可以为相对论核结构及反应研究提供重要的理论输入，而且可以进一步加深对低能强相互作用的认识。 In this paper, we report on two recent studies of relativistic nucleon-nucleon and hyperonnucleon interactions in covariant chiral perturbation theory, where they are constructed up to leading order. The relevant unknown low energy constants are fixed by fitting to the nucleon-nucleon and hyperon-nucleon scattering data. It is shown that these interactions can describe the scattering data with a quality similar to their next-to-leading order non-relativistic counterparts. These studies show that it is technically feasible to construct relativist baryon-baryon interactions, and in addition, after further refinements, these interactions may provide important inputs to ab initio relativistic nuclear structure and reaction studies and help improve our understanding of low energy strong interactions.

Motivation & Objective

• To develop a relativistic formulation of baryon-baryon interactions using covariant chiral perturbation theory.
• To determine unknown low-energy constants by fitting to nucleon-nucleon and hyperon-nucleon scattering data.
• To assess the viability and accuracy of leading-order relativistic interactions compared to established non-relativistic approaches.
• To provide a foundation for future ab initio studies of relativistic nuclear structure and reactions.
• To deepen understanding of low-energy strong interactions through a relativistic framework.

Proposed method

• Construct baryon-baryon interactions up to leading order in covariant chiral perturbation theory.
• Fix unknown low-energy constants by fitting to experimental nucleon-nucleon and hyperon-nucleon scattering data.
• Employ a relativistic framework to maintain Lorentz invariance and improve description of dynamics at moderate energies.
• Use the same theoretical structure as non-relativistic chiral perturbation theory but extend it to include relativistic kinematics and vertex structures.
• Ensure consistency with chiral symmetry and power-counting rules within the relativistic formulation.
• Validate the model by comparing its predictions to empirical scattering data.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Can leading-order relativistic baryon-baryon interactions in chiral perturbation theory describe nucleon-nucleon and hyperon-nucleon scattering data with comparable accuracy to non-relativistic next-to-leading-order interactions?
• RQ2 Is it technically feasible to construct consistent relativistic baryon-baryon interactions within the chiral perturbation theory framework?
• RQ3 How do relativistic corrections affect the description of low-energy strong interactions in baryon-baryon systems?
• RQ4 What is the role of Lorentz invariance in improving the description of nuclear forces at moderate energies?
• RQ5 Can this relativistic approach serve as a reliable input for ab initio calculations of relativistic nuclear structure and reactions?

Key findings

• The leading-order relativistic baryon-baryon interactions achieve a description of scattering data that is comparable in quality to next-to-leading-order non-relativistic chiral forces.
• The fitting procedure successfully determines low-energy constants from experimental nucleon-nucleon and hyperon-nucleon scattering data.
• The relativistic formulation is technically feasible and maintains consistency with chiral symmetry and power-counting principles.
• The results indicate that relativistic effects at leading order can capture essential physics previously requiring higher-order corrections in non-relativistic approaches.
• The constructed interactions provide a viable foundation for future ab initio studies of relativistic nuclear systems.
• The work enhances the potential for deeper insights into low-energy strong interactions through a relativistic field-theoretic framework.