Spectral function of the $\eta'$ meson in nuclear medium based on phenomenological models

TL;DR

This study investigates how the spectral function of the $ ext{eta'}$ meson changes in nuclear matter using phenomenological models, revealing density-dependent shifts and the effects of momentum on spectral features.

Contribution

It compares two phenomenological models for $ ext{eta'}$-nucleon interactions, providing insights into in-medium modifications of the $ ext{eta'}$ meson spectral function.

Findings

Single peak in coupled channels model shifts to higher energy with density.

Two branches appear in the $N(1895)$-dominance model, related to different modes.

Peak shifts and widths are a few tens of MeV at normal nuclear density.

Abstract

The in-medium modification of the spectral function of the $\eta'$ meson with and without the spatial momentum is studied with the $T\rho$ approximation by employing two phenomenological models for the $\eta'N$ scattering; one is called coupled channels model and the other the $N(1895)$-dominance model. In the former model, the $\eta'N$ scattering amplitude is calculated in the unitarized coupled-channel approach involving the $\eta'N$ channel, while in the latter model the $\eta'N$ scattering process is dominated by the $N(1895)$ resonance with the spin and parity $J^P=1/2^-$. In the \com{coupled channels model}, one single peak of the in-medium $\eta'$ mode appears in the spectral function and the peak position shifts to higher energies along with the increase of the nuclear density reflecting the repulsive $\eta'N$ scattering length of the unitarized coupled-channel amplitude. On the other hand, two branches related to the $\eta'$ and $N(1895)$-hole modes appear in the $N(1895)$-dominance model. In both models, the shift of the peak position and the width in the spectral function are a few tens of MeV at the normal nuclear density for the $\eta'$ meson at rest in the nuclear medium. Once the spatial momentum is turned on, the peak positions in the spectral function approach the energies without the nuclear medium effect. Particularly, in the $N(1895)$-dominance model, the peak strength of the $N(1895)$-hole mode gets smaller with the finite momentum and the spectral function comes to have one single peak.