Predictions of covariant chiral perturbation theory for nucleon polarisabilities and polarised Compton scattering

TL;DR

This paper updates chiral perturbation theory predictions for nucleon polarisabilities, compares them with experimental data, and provides new theoretical insights into proton and neutron responses in Compton scattering.

Contribution

The paper presents novel predictions for nucleon polarisabilities using covariant chiral perturbation theory and compares them with experimental and semi-empirical results.

Findings

Scalar polarisabilities differ from dispersion relation analyses.

Spin polarisabilities show remarkable agreement with data.

Proton and neutron polarisabilities are systematically predicted and analyzed.

Abstract

We update the predictions of the SU(2) baryon chiral perturbation theory for the dipole polarisabilities of the proton, $\{\alpha_{E1},\,\beta_{M1}\}_p=\{11.2(0.7),\,3.9(0.7)\}\times10^{-4}$fm$^3$, and obtain the corresponding predictions for the quadrupole, dispersive, and spin polarisabilities: $\{\alpha_{E2},\,\beta_{M2}\}_p=\{17.3(3.9),\,-15.5(3.5)\}\times10^{-4}$fm$^5$, $\{\alpha_{E1\nu},\,\beta_{M1\nu}\}_p=\{-1.3(1.0),\,7.1(2.5)\}\times10^{-4}$fm$^5$, and $\{\gamma_{E1E1},\,\gamma_{M1M1},\,\gamma_{E1M2},\,\gamma_{M1E2}\}_p=\{-3.3(0.8),\,2.9(1.5),\,0.2(0.2),\,1.1(0.3)\}\times10^{-4}$fm$^4$. The results for the scalar polarisabilities are in significant disagreement with semi-empirical analyses based on dispersion relations, however the results for the spin polarisabilities agree remarkably well. Results for proton Compton-scattering multipoles and polarised observables up to the Delta(1232) resonance region are presented too. The asymmetries $\Sigma_3$ and $\Sigma_{2x}$ reproduce the experimental data from LEGS and MAMI. Results for $\Sigma_{2z}$ agree with a recent sum rule evaluation in the forward kinematics. The asymmetry $\Sigma_{1z}$ near the pion production threshold shows a large sensitivity to chiral dynamics, but no data is available for this observable. We also provide the predictions for the polarisabilities of the neutron: $\{\alpha_{E1},\,\beta_{M1}\}_n=\{13.7(3.1),\,4.6(2.7)\}\times10^{-4}$fm$^3$, $\{\alpha_{E2},\,\beta_{M2}\}_n=\{16.2(3.7),\,-15.8(3.6)\}\times10^{-4}$fm$^5$, $\{\alpha_{E1\nu},\,\beta_{M1\nu}\}_n=\{0.1(1.0),\,7.2(2.5)\}\times10^{-4}$fm$^5$, and $\{\gamma_{E1E1},\,\gamma_{M1M1},\,\gamma_{E1M2},\,\gamma_{M1E2}\}_n=\{-4.7(1.1),\,2.9(1.5),\,0.2(0.2),\,1.6(0.4)\}\times10^{-4}$fm$^4$. The neutron dynamical polarisabilities and multipoles are examined too. We also discuss subtleties related to matching dynamical and static polarisabilities.