Hadronic parity violation in effective field theory

Abstract

Parity-violating interactions between nucleons are the manifestation of an interplay of strong and weak interactions between quarks in the nucleons. Because of the short range of the weak interactions, these parity-violating forces provide a unique probe of low-energy strong interactions. An ongoing experimental program is mapping out this weak component of the nuclear force in few-nucleon systems. Recent theoretical progress in analyzing and interpreting hadronic parity violation in such systems based on effective field theory methods is described. In particular, important information on parity-violating nucleon-nucleon interactions can be gained from an asymmetry in deuteron photodisintegration, which might be measurable at a future high-intensity photon source such as the proposed upgraded HIGS facility.