Related papers: The sigma -> gamma gamma Width from Nucleon Electr…
Earlier work suggested that the in-medium $\pi N$ threshold isovector amplitude $b_1(\rho)$ gets renormalized in pionic atoms by about 30% away from its $\rho=0$ free-space value, relating such renormalization to the leading low-density…
The generalized forward spin polarizabilities $\gamma_0$ and $\delta_{LT}$ of the neutron have been extracted for the first time in a $Q^2$ range from 0.1 to 0.9 GeV$^2$. Since $\gamma_0$ is sensitive to nucleon resonances and $\delta_{LT}$…
Compton scattering by the proton has been measured over a wide range covering photon energies 250 MeV < E_\gamma < 800 MeV and photon scattering angles 30^0 < \theta^{lab}_\gamma < 150^0, using the tagged-photon facility at MAMI (Mainz) and…
The scalar dipole polarizabilities, $\alpha_{E1}$ and $\beta_{M1}$, are fundamental properties related to the internal dynamics of the nucleon. The currently accepted values of the proton polarizabilities were determined by fitting to…
In this talk I summarize a recently proposed mechanism to understand pi pi scattering to 1 GeV. The model is motivated by the 1/Nc expansion to QCD, and includes a current algebra contact term and resonant pole exchanges. Chiral symmetry…
The structure of the $\sigma$ meson and the diamagnetism of the nucleon are shown to be topics which are closely related to each other. Arguments are found that the $\sigma$ meson couples to two photons via its non-strange $q\bar{q}$…
The Compton double-polarization observable $\Sigma_{2z}$ has been measured for the first time in the $\Delta(1232)$ resonance region using a circularly polarized photon beam incident on a longitudinally polarized target at the Mainz…
The "g_{Delta N gamma}" coupling for the "Delta -> N gamma" decay is calculated in framework of the light cone QCD sum rules and is found to be g_{Delta N gamma} = (1.6 pm 0.2) GeV^(-1). Using this value of g_{Delta N gamma} we estimate the…
A new sum rule determines the nucleon sigma term by the \pi N elastic scattering threshold parameters alone. This "threshold" value of \sigma(2\mu^2) provides an independent check of existing values obtained from global dispersive analyses,…
The status of Compton scattering by the nucleon at energies of the first and second resonance is summarized. In addition to a general test of dispersion theories and a precise determination of polarizabilities, the validities of four…
It is shown that the scalar mesons $\sigma$, $f_0(980)$ and $a_0(980)$ as $t$-channel exchanges quantitatively solve the problem of diamagnetism and give an explanation of the large missing part of the electric polarizability $\alpha$…
The light pseudoscalar particle, dubbed the axion, borne out of the Peccei-Quinn solution to the strong CP problem in QCD remains elusive. One avenue of inferring its existence is through its coupling to electromagnetic radiation. So far,…
An experiment on the radiative pi^+ meson photoproduction from the proton (gamma p->gamma pi^+ n) was carried out at the Mainz Microtron MAMI in the kinematic region 537 MeV <E_{gamma}<817 MeV, 140^o<theta_{gamma-gamma'}^cm<180^o. The pi^+…
Different approaches to describe Compton scattering and the polarizability of the nucleon have been discussed up to now. We show that the most appropriate ones are provided by non-subtracted dispersion theories of the fixed-$t$ and…
The electric alpha and magnetic beta pion Compton polarizabilities characterize the pion's deformation in the electromagnetic field of the gamma during gamma-pi Compton scattering. The chi_PT effective Lagrangian, using data from radiative…
We revisit the information on the two lightest $a_0$ resonances and $S$-wave $\pi\eta$ scattering that can be extracted from photon-photon scattering experiments. For this purpose we construct a model for the $S$-wave photon-photon…
We investigate the electric polarizabilities of neutral baryons using the method of QCD sum rules. The diagrams in the operator product expansion are taken into account up to dimension 6. We obtain different values of the polarizabilities…
Differential cross sections and photon beam asymmetries for the gamma p -> pi+ n reaction have been measured for 0.6<cos(theta)<1 and Egamma=1.5-2.95 GeV at SPring-8/LEPS. The cross sections monotonically decrease as the photon beam energy…
The process e^+e^- -> gamma gamma (gamma) is studied using data recorded with the OPAL detector at LEP. The data sample corresponds to a total integrated luminosity of 25.38 pb^{-1} taken at centre-of-mass energies of 130-172 GeV. The…
The electromagnetic polarizabilities of the nucleon are shown to be essentially composed of the nonresonant $\alpha_p(E_{0+})=+3.2$, $\alpha_n(E_{0+})=+4.1$,the $t$-channel $\alpha^t_{p,n}=-\beta^t_{p,n}=+7.6$ and the resonant…