The QCD Grand Line
A journey through the fascinating world of QCD, exploring the fundamental nature of strongly interacting matter. Each saga is a major research direction; each arc explores a focused scientific question.
I develop theoretical descriptions of strongly interacting systems and connect their predictions with experiments and lattice QCD.
Explore the research sagas ↓Hadron Spectroscopy
Resonances · production · decays
The central question: How are hadronic resonances formed, and what can their production and decays tell us about their internal structure?
My work investigates hadron resonances using quark models, effective interactions, and analyses of multi-body decays. In particular, angular distributions and Dalitz plots offer valuable information about resonance properties, including their spin and parity.
Research arcs
- Heavy-baryon decay arc: Relativistic effects in hadronic decay processes.
- Three-body decay arc: Using sequential decays and angular correlations to identify excited baryons.
- Roper-like resonance arc: Excitations and two-pion emission across different flavor sectors.
Selected publications
- Relativistic corrections to decays of heavy baryons in the quark model. A. J. Arifi, D. Suenaga, and A. Hosaka. Phys. Rev. D 103, 094003 (2021). Journal · arXiv:2102.03754
- Roper-like resonances with various flavor contents and their two-pion emission decays. A. J. Arifi, H. Nagahiro, A. Hosaka, and K. Tanida. Phys. Rev. D 101, 111502(R) (2020). Journal · arXiv:2004.07423
- Three-body decay of Λc(2765) and determination of its spin-parity. A. J. Arifi, H. Nagahiro, A. Hosaka, and K. Tanida. Phys. Rev. D 101, 094023 (2020). Journal · arXiv:2003.08202
Light-Front Structure
Wave functions · distribution amplitudes
The central question: How do quarks share momentum and organize themselves inside hadrons?
I use the light-front quark model (LFQM) to study hadrons in a relativistic framework. Light-front wave functions connect spectroscopy to observables such as decay constants, distribution amplitudes, and form factors. An important part of this research is testing whether physical predictions remain consistent across different current components, polarization choices, and reference frames.
Research arcs
- Meson spectroscopy arc: Mass spectra and wave functions of light and heavy mesons.
- Relativistic consistency arc: Current-component and reference-frame independence.
- Distribution amplitude arc: How quarks and antiquarks share longitudinal momentum.
- Radial excitation arc: Mixing and structure of ground and excited meson states.
Selected publications
- Pseudoscalar meson decay constants and distribution amplitudes up to twist 4 in the light-front quark model. A. J. Arifi, H. M. Choi, and C. R. Ji. Phys. Rev. D 108, 013006 (2023). Journal · arXiv:2306.08536
- Independence of current components, polarization vectors, and reference frames in the light-front quark model analysis of meson decay constants. A. J. Arifi, H. M. Choi, C. R. Ji, and Y. Oh. Phys. Rev. D 107, 053003 (2023). Journal · arXiv:2210.12780
- Mixing effects on 1S and 2S state heavy mesons in the light-front quark model. A. J. Arifi, H. M. Choi, C. R. Ji, and Y. Oh. Phys. Rev. D 106, 014009 (2022). Journal · arXiv:2205.04075
- Structure of Heavy Mesons in the Light-Front Quark Model. A. J. Arifi, L. Happ, S. Ohno, and M. Oka. Phys. Rev. D 110, 014020 (2024). Journal · arXiv:2401.07933
Nuclear Matter
In-medium hadrons · QMC
The central question: How does the surrounding nuclear environment change the properties of hadrons?
Hadrons embedded in nuclear matter can have properties different from those in vacuum. I study these changes by combining the quark–meson coupling (QMC) model, light-front methods, and effective hadronic interactions. The aim is to understand in-medium modifications of masses, decay properties, and internal structure, and to connect predictions with experimental measurements.
Research arcs
- In-medium meson structure arc: Light and heavy-light mesons in nuclear matter.
- Quark–meson coupling arc: How the nuclear environment influences constituent quarks.
- Phi-meson arc: Medium-dependent mass and width, including polarization effects.
Selected publications
- In-medium properties of the light and heavy-light mesons in a light-front quark model. A. J. Arifi, P. T. P. Parada, and K. Tsushima. Phys. Rev. D 107, 114010 (2023). Journal · arXiv:2302.12382
Extreme Fields
Magnetic fields · exceptional points
The central question: How do hadronic bound states respond to intense external fields and unconventional interactions?
I investigate heavy quarkonia in strong magnetic fields using theoretical Hamiltonians and numerical bound-state calculations. These studies explore spectral shifts, wave-function deformation, spin mixing, anisotropic confinement, and non-Hermitian phenomena such as exceptional points.
Research arcs
- Quarkonia in magnetic fields: Mass spectra, state mixing, and wave-function structure.
- Anisotropic confinement: Direction-dependent modifications of the confining interaction.
- Hadronic exceptional points: Non-Hermitian spectral degeneracies and level attraction.
Selected publications
- Structure of heavy quarkonia in a strong magnetic field. A. J. Arifi, and K. Suzuki. Phys. Rev. D 112, 094013 (2025). Journal · arXiv:2507.18894