$K^+$-nucleus elastic scattering revisited from perspective of partial restoration of chiral symmetry

Abstract

The $K^{+}$ meson properties in the nuclear medium are investigated by considering the wavefunction renormalization as a first step to reveal the in-medium properties of the $K^{+}$ meson in the context of partial restoration of chiral symmetry. The $K^{+}N$ elastic scattering amplitude is constructed using chiral perturbation theory up to the next-to-leading order. Using the constructed amplitude, we calculate the wavefunction renormalization in the Thomas-Fermi approximation. We obtained a good description of the $K^{+}N$ elastic scattering amplitude. The obtained wavefunction renormalization factor suggests the 2 to 6% enhancement of the $K^{+}N$ interaction at the saturation density. We conclude that the wavefunction renormalization could be one of the important medium effects for the $K^{+}$ meson.