Electric polarizability of the neutron in dynamical quark ensembles

Abstract

The background field method for measuring the electric polarizability of the neutron is adapted to the dynamical quark case, resulting in the calculation of (certain space-time integrals over) three- and four-point functions. Particular care is taken to disentangle polarizability effects from the effects of subjecting the neutron to a constant background gauge field; such a field is not a pure gauge on a finite lattice and engenders a mass shift of its own. At a pion mass of m_pi = 759 MeV, a small, slightly negative electric polarizability is found for the neutron.