In this thesis, several properties of baryons are studied using the chiral quark model. The chiral quark model is a theory which can be used to describe low energy phenomena of baryons. In Paper 1, the chiral quark model is studied using wave functions with configuration mixing. This study is motivated by the fact that the chiral quark model cannot otherwise break the Coleman–Glashow sum-rule for the magnetic moments of the octet baryons, which is xperimentally broken by about ten standard deviations. Configuration mixing with quark-diquark components is also able to reproduce the octet baryon magnetic moments very accurately. In Paper 2, the chiral quark model is used to calculate the decuplet baryon magnetic moments. The values for the magnetic moments of the ++and− are in good agreement with the experimental results. The total quark spin polarizations are also calculated and are found to be significantly smaller than the non-relativistic quark model results. In Paper 3, the weak form factors for semileptonic octet baryon decays are studied in the chiral quark model. The “weak magnetism” form factors are found to be consistent with the conserved vector current (CVC) results and the induced pseudotensor form factors, which seem to be model independent, are small. The results obtained are in general agreement with experiments and are also compared with other model calculations. / QC 20100618

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Engineering new solid propellant materials requires optimization of several factors, to include energy density, burn rate, sensitivity, and environmental impact. Equally important is the need for materials that will maintain their mechanical properties and thermal stability during long periods of storage. The nanoscale materials considered in this dissertation are proposed metal additives that may enhance energy density and improve combustion in a composite rocket motor. Density Functional Theory methods are used to determine cluster geometries, bond strengths, and energy densities. The ground-state geometries and electron affinities (EAs) for MnxO?: x = 3, 4, y = 1, 2 clusters were calculated with GGA, and estimates for the vertical detachment energies compare well with experimental results. It was found that the presence of oxygen influences the overall cluster moment and spin configuration, stabilizing ferrimagnetic and antiferromagnetic isomers. The calculated EAs range from 1.29-1.84 eV, which is considerably lower than the 3.0-5.0 eV EAs characteristic of current propellant oxidizers. Their use as solid propellant additives is limited. The structures and bonding of a range of Al-cyclopentadienyl cluster compounds were studied with multilayer quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM:MM) methods. The organometallic Al-ligand bonds are generally 55-85 kcal/mol and are much stronger than Al-Al interactions. This suggests that thermal decomposition in these clusters will proceed via the loss of surface metal-ligand units. The energy density of the large clusters is calculated to be nearly 60% that of pure aluminum. These organometallic cluster systems may provide a route to extremely rapid Al combustion in solid rocket motors. Lastly, the properties of COOH-terminated passivating agents were modeled with the GPW method. It is confirmed that fluorinated polymers bind to both Al(111) and Al(100) at two Al surface sites. The oligomers HCOOH, CH3CH2COOH, and CF3CF2COOH chemisorb onto Al(111) with adsorption energies of 10-45 kcal/mol. The preferred contact angle for the organic chains is 65-85 degrees, and adsorption energy weakens slightly with increasing chain length. Despite their relatively weak adsorption energies, fluorinated polymers have elevated melting temperatures, making them good passivation materials for micron-scale Al fuel particles.

Für verschiedene Richtgrößen, die untersucht werden, um Hinweise auf Neue Physik jenseits des Standardmodells der Teilchenphysik zu finden, stellt die Gitter-QCD stellt derzeit den einzigen Ab-initio-Zugang für die Berechnung von nichtperturbativen hadronischen Beiträgen dar. Zu diesen Observablen gehören die anomalen magnetischen Momenten der Leptonen und das Laufen der elektroschwachen Kopplungskonstanten. Wir bestimmen den führenden QCD-Beitrag zum anomalen magnetischen Moment des Myons mit Hilfe einer Gitter-QCD-Rechnung auf Ensemblen, die Nf=2+1+1 dynamische Twisted-Mass-Fermionen berücksichtigen. Durch die Betrachtung aktiver up, down, strange and charm Quarks können erstmalig Gitter-QCD-Daten für die Myonanomalie direkt mit phänomenologischen Resultaten verglichen werden, da letztere bei der derzeitigen Genauigkeit sensitiv auf die ersten beiden Quarkgenerationen sind. Unlängst wurde darauf hingewiesen, dass es auch möglich sein könnte Beiträge Neuer Physik durch verbesserte Messungen der anomalen magnetischen Momente des Elektrons und des Tauons nachzuweisen. Aus diesem Grund berechnen wir auch deren führende QCD-Beiträge, was gleichzeitig eine Überprüfung des Wertes für das Myon liefert. Zusätzlich nutzen wir die gewonnenen Daten, um den führenden hadronischen Beitrag zum Laufen der Feinstrukturkonstante zu berechnen. Darüber hinaus zeigen wir, dass sogar für den schwachen Mischungswinkel der führende QCD-Beitrag mit Hilfe dieser Daten berechnet werden kann. Dadurch identifizieren wir eine neue grundlegende Observable für die Suche nach Neuer Physik, deren hadronische Beiträge mit Hilfe der Gitter-QCD beschafft werden können. Mit den Resultaten dieser Arbeit ist es uns gelungen ungeeignete Herangehensweisen der phänomenologisch notwendigen Flavourseparation auszuschließen und somit direkt die derzeit präziseren phänomenologischen Bestimmungen dieser bedeutsamen physikalischen Größe zu unterstützen. / For several benchmark quantities investigated to detect signs for new physics beyond the standard model of elementary particle physics, lattice QCD currently constitutes the only ab initio approach available at small momentum transfers for the computation of non-perturbative hadronic contributions. Among those observables are the lepton anomalous magnetic moments and the running of the electroweak coupling constants. We compute the leading QCD contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment by performing lattice QCD calculations on ensembles incorporating Nf=2+1+1 dynamical twisted mass fermions. Considering active up, down, strange, and charm quarks, admits for the first time a direct comparison of the lattice data for the muon anomaly with phenomenological results because both the latter as well as the experimentally obtained values are sensitive to the complete first two generations of quarks at the current level of precision. Recently, it has been noted that improved measurements of the electron and tau anomalous magnetic moments might also provide ways of detecting new physics contributions. Therefore, we also compute their leading QCD contributions, which simultaneously serve as cross-checks of the value obtained for the muon. Additionally, we utilise the obtained data to compute the leading hadronic contribution to the running of the fine structure constant, which enters all perturbative QED calculations. Furthermore, we show that even for the weak mixing angle the leading QCD contribution can be computed from this data. In this way, we identify a new prime observable in the search for new physics whose hadronic contributions can be obtained from lattice QCD. With the results obtained in this thesis, we are able to exclude unsuitable phenomenologically necessary flavour separations and thus directly assist the presently more precise phenomenological determinations of this eminent quantity.

The Standard Model of Elementary Particle Physics (SM) is the present theoryfor the elementary particles and their interactions and is a well-established theorywithin the physics community. The SM is a combination of Quantum Chromodynamics(QCD) and the Glashow{Weinberg{Salam (GWS) electroweak model. QCDis a theory for the strong force, whereas the GWS electroweak model is a theoryfor the weak and electromagnetic forces. This means that the SM describes allfundamental forces in Nature, except for the gravitational force. However, the SMis not a nal theory and some of its problems will be discussed in this thesis.In the rst part of this thesis, several properties of baryons are studied suchas spin structure, spin polarizations, magnetic moments, weak form factors, andnucleon quark sea isospin asymmetries, using the chiral quark model (QM). TheQM is an eective chiral eld theory developed to describe low energy phenomena of baryons, since perturbative QCD is not applicable at low energies. The resultsof the QM are in good agreement with experimental data.The second part of the thesis is devoted to the concept of quantum mechanicalneutrino oscillations. Neutrino oscillations can, however, not occur within the GWSelectroweak model. Thus, this model has to be extended in some way. All studiesincluding neutrino oscillation are done within three avor neutrino oscillationmodels. Both vacuum and matter neutrino oscillations are considered. Especially,global ts to all data of candidates for neutrino oscillations are presented and alsoan analytical formalism for matter enhanced three avor neutrino oscillations usingtime evolution operators is derived. Furthermore, investigations of matter eectswhen neutrinos traverse the Earth are included.The thesis begins with an introductory review of the QM and neutrino oscillationsand ends with the research results, which are given in the nine accompanyingscientic articles. / QC 20100616