Chiral Perturbation Theory and Baryon Properties

TL;DR

This review discusses the application of chiral perturbation theory and lattice QCD to understand baryon properties, focusing on low-energy processes and the complementarity of these non-perturbative methods.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of chiral perturbation theory applications to baryons and explores the synergy with lattice QCD in low-energy nuclear physics.

Findings

Chiral extrapolations improve lattice simulation accuracy.

Chiral perturbation theory describes pion-nucleon interactions effectively.

Three-flavor calculations extend understanding of baryon dynamics.

Abstract

Theoretical as well as experimental progress has been made in the last decade in describing the properties of baryons. In this review I will mostly report on the theoretical issues. Two non-perturbative methods are privileged frameworks for studying these properties in the low energy domain: chiral perturbation theory, the effective field theory of the Standard Model at energies below 1 GeV and lattice QCD. I will mainly concentrate here on the first one but I will also discuss the complementarity of the two methods. Chiral extrapolations for lattice simulations of some nucleon properties will be investigated. I will then concentrate on processes involving at most two nucleons, describing for example pion-nucleon and pion-deuteron scattering, pion photo- and electroproduction off the nucleon and the deuteron and doubly virtual Compton scattering. Three flavor calculations will also be reviewed.