Abstract
We derive the sub-subleading two-pion exchange contributions to the three-nucleon force which appear at next-to-next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order in chiral effective field theory. In order to determine the low-energy constants, a complete analysis of pion-nucleon scattering at the subleading-loop order in the heavy-baryon expansion is carried out utilizing the power counting scheme employed in the derivation of the nuclear forces. We discuss the convergence of the chiral expansion for this particular three-nucleon force topology and give the values of the low-energy constants which provide the most realistic description of the three-nucleon force when the chiral expansion is truncated at next-to-next-to-leading order.
- Received 21 March 2012
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.85.054006
©2012 American Physical Society