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Selected Works

Barry R Holstein

2008

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physics

Long Range Electromagnetic Effects Involving Neutral Systems And Effective Field Theory, Br Holstein Jul 2008

Long Range Electromagnetic Effects Involving Neutral Systems And Effective Field Theory, Br Holstein

Barry R Holstein

We analyze the electromagnetic scattering of massive particles with and without spin wherein one particle (or both) is electrically neutral. Using the techniques of effective field theory, we isolate the leading long distance effects, both classical and quantum mechanical. For spinless systems results are identical to those obtained earlier via more elaborate dispersive methods. However, we also find new results if either or both particles carry spin.


Chiral Perturbation Theory: An Effective Field Theory, Br Holstein Jun 2008

Chiral Perturbation Theory: An Effective Field Theory, Br Holstein

Barry R Holstein

The concept of an effective field theory (EFT), i.e. a theory which is valid only in a limited range of parameter space, is one which has become highly developed recently. After presenting familiar examples from the realms of classical and quantum mechanics together with condensed matter physics, we show that QCD has an intriguing parallel with superconductivity in that, by using quark–antiquark (mesonic) degrees of freedom and exploiting the symmetries of the theory, a useful and powerful theory–chiral perturbation theory–results, which offers a complete and rigorous description of low energy particle and nuclear physics.