"Probing Chiral Symmetry with Photonuclear Reactions"


Norm Kolb , University of Saskachewan
[Host: Blaine Norum]
ABSTRACT:
Chiral Perturbation Theory (ChPT) is an effective field theory in which the spontaneous breaking of the Quantum Chromodynamic (QCD) chiral symmetry is exploited to make predictions for many low-energy processes. Nuclear Compton scattering and near-threshold pion photoproduction are two of the phenomena that can be used to test the chiral dynamics of QCD via ChPT. Compton scattering can be used to extract the electric and magnetic polarizabilites of the nucleon, which are fundamental structure constants. Pion photoproduction close to threshold determines the fundamental pion-nucleon amplitudes in a model-independent way. The proton polarizabilities and pion-proton threshold amplitude are in reasonable agreement with predictions. The situation for the neutron is not nearly so good, both on an experimental as well as theoretical basis. Experimental results from these programs at the Saskatchewan Accelerator Laboratory will be reviewed.
Nuclear Physics Seminar
Tuesday, October 5, 1999
3:30 PM
Physics Building, Room 204
Note special room.

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