Dramatic implications of unitarity for meson spectroscopy∗
arXiv:1904.06746v2 [hep-ph] 17 Oct 2019
George Rupp
Centro de Fı́sica e Engenharia de Materiais Avançados, Instituto Superior
Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, P-1049-001, Portugal
Eef van Beveren
Centro de Fı́sica da UC, Departamento de Fı́sica, Universidade de Coimbra,
P-3004-516, Portugal
An unambiguous definition of meson resonance masses requires a description of the associated phase shifts in terms of a manifestly unitary Smatrix and its complex poles. However, the commonly used Breit-Wigner
(BW) parametrisations can lead to appreciable deviations. We demonstrate
this for a simple elastic resonance, viz. ρ(770), whose pole and BW masses
turn out to differ by almost 5 MeV. In the case of the very broad f0 (500)
and K0⋆ (700) scalar mesons, the discrepancies are shown to become much
larger, while also putting question marks at the listed PDG BW masses
and widths. Furthermore, some results are reviewed of a manifestly unitary
model for meson spectroscopy, which highlight the potentially huge deviations from static model predictions. Finally, a related unitary model for
production amplitudes is shown to explain several meson enhancements as
non-resonant threshold effects, with profound implications for spectroscopy.
1. Introduction
The most fundamental cornerstone of the PDG tables is the uniqueness of S-matrix pole positions of unstable particles, as a consequence of
quantum-field-theory principles. Therefore, the unitarity property of the
S-matrix should ideally be respected in whatever description of mesonic
resonances in experiment, on the lattice, and in quark models. However,
simple Breit-Wigner (BW) parametrisations that not always satisfy unitarity continue to be widely used in data analyses of mesonic processes. In
this short paper, the resulting discrepancies will be studied for three elastic
meson resonances, viz. ρ(770), f0 (500) (alias σ), and K0⋆ (700) (alias κ).
∗
Presented by G. Rupp at Workshop “Excited QCD 2019”, Schladming, Austria, Jan.
30 – Feb. 3, 2019.
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Now, quark models usually treat mesons as permanently bound q q̄ states,
ignoring the dynamical effects of strong decay, be it real or virtual. Only a
model that respects S-matrix unitarity of the decay products can be reliably
compared to resonances in experiment. A few important results of models
employed by us since long ago will be reviewed here. Finally, some predictions of a strongly related unitary model of productions processes, with
far-reaching consequences for meson spectroscopy, will be briefly revisited.
2. Pole mass vs. Breit-Wigner mass
Now we summarise very succinctly how to relate the pole mass of an
elastic resonance to its typical Breit-Wigner (BW) mass, with some applications. A detailed derivation will be published elsewhere.
A 1 × 1 partial-wave S-matrix, being a function of the relative momentum k, can be written as [1] Sl (k) = Jl (−k)/Jl (k), where Jl (k) is the
so-called Jost function. A resonance then corresponds to a simple pole in
Sl (k) for complex k with positive real part and negative imaginary part,
that is, a pole lying in the fourth quadrant of the complex k-plane. So
the simplest ansatz for the S-matrix and thus for the Jost function is
to write Jl (k) = k − kpole = k − (c − id), with c > 0, d > 0. Note
that this requires Sl (k) to have a zero in the second quadrant, viz. for
k = −c + id. But then the S-matrix cannot be unitary [2], for real k, i.e.,
Sl⋆ (k) 6= Sl−1 (k). It will only satisfy unitarity if [1] the Jost function obeys
Jl⋆ (k) = Jl (−k), for real k. Consequently, the Jost function should read [2]
⋆ ) = (k − c + id)(k + c + id). So S (k) has a
Jl (k) = (k − kpole )(k + kpole
l
symmetric pair of poles in the 3rd and 4th quadrants, corresponding to an
equally symmetric pair of zeros in the 1st√and 2nd quadrants. Note that in
the complex-energy plane, given by E = 2 k 2 + m2 in the case of two equalmass particles, this amounts to one pole and one zero lying symmetrically
in the 4th and 1st quadrants, respectively. Since a 1 × 1 S-matrix can generally be written as Sl (k) = exp(2iδl (k)) = (1 + i tan δl (k))/(1 − i tan δl (k)),
we can use the unitary expression for the Jost function above to derive [2]
tan δl (k) =
2k Im(kpole )
2dk
= 2
.
2
2
k − |kpole |
c + d2 − k 2
(1)
When the partial-wave phase shift δl (k) reaches 90◦ , we get for the modulus
of the corresponding amplitude |Tl (kmax )| = | exp(iδl (kmax )) sinpδl (kmax )| = 1,
2
2
2
2
2
for
√ kmax = c +d . The associated maximum energy Emax = 2 kmax + m =
2 c2 + d2 + m2 is different from the maximum in a typical Breit-Wigner
(BW) amplitude Tl (E) ∝ (E − MBW + iΓBW /2)−1 , which is called the BW
mass and just given by the real part of the
quadrant of
q pole in the fourth
√
2
2
2
the complex-energy plane, viz. MBW = 2 kBW + m = 2 c + m2 . Such a
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BW amplitude, in spite of being unitary in the case of an isolated resonance,
can give rise to significant differences compared to S-matrix approaches.
Next we illustrate the consequences of these unitarity considerations in
the simple case of the very well-known meson ρ(770) [3], which is an elastic
P -wave resonance in ππ scattering. The PDG lists its mass and total width
as [3] Mρ0 = (775.26 ± 0.25) MeV and Γρ0 = (147.8 ± 0.9) MeV, where the
width follows almost exclusively (≈ 100%) from the decay mode ρ0 → π + π − ,
with mπ± = 139.57 MeV.
In the following, we shall refer to BW mass (MBW ) for the energy where
the resonance’s phase shift passes through 90◦ and so the modulus of the
amplitude is maximum. This also holds for the standard BW amplitude
given above, though in the latter case it corresponds to the real part of the
resonance pole’s complex energy. In contrast, here we want to determine
the difference between pole mass and (unitary) BW mass for the ρ(770).
After some lengthy yet straightforward algebra, we can express the pole
mass explicitly in terms of the BW mass and the pole width as
Mpole =
rq
2
2
2 /4 .
(MBW
− 4m2 )2 − 4m2 Γpole
+ 4m2 − Γpole
(2)
Note that it is not possible to write Mpole as a simple closed-form expression
in terms of both MBW and ΓBW . Assuming for the moment that Γpole ≃
ΓBW , we substitute in Eq. (2) the PDG values for MBW and Γpole , which
yields Mpole = 770.67 MeV. This is 4.5 MeV lower than the PDG ρ(770)
mass of 775.25 MeV! Now we check whether indeed Γpole ≃ ΓBW , by calculating the half-width of the ρ(770) peak from the modulus squared of the
amplitude Tl (k), starting from Eq. (1). The result is ΓBW = 147.83 MeV,
so indeed very close to the assumed Γpole = 147.8 MeV. Finally, we compare pole mass and width vs. BW mass and width for the very broad scalar
mesons f0 (500) and K0⋆ (700) [3]. As the latter resonance decays into Kπ, we
must now deal with the unequal-mass case, which does not allow to derive
simple expressions. Yet on the computer the real and imaginary parts of
kpole can be simply obtained, allowing to derive MBW and ΓBW as before.
Let us now check what the consequences are for f0 (500) and K0⋆ (700).
Their pole positions as well as BW masses and widths are listed in the PDG
Meson Tables as [3]
(
f0 (500)
l
:
K0⋆ (700)
:
Epole = {(475 ± 75) − i(275 ± 75)} MeV ,
MBW = (475 ± 75) MeV , ΓBW = (550 ± 150) MeV ;
(
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Epole = {(680 ± 50) − i(300 ± 40)} MeV ,
(4)
MBW = (824 ± 30) MeV , ΓBW = (478 ± 50) MeV .
But using our equations imposed by elastic S-matrix unitarity, we obtain
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f0 (500) : MBW = (592 ± 99) MeV , ΓBW = (555 ± 152) MeV ;
K0⋆ (700) : MBW = (907 ± 49) MeV , ΓBW = (709 ± 122) MeV .
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The conclusion is that the PDG seems to underestimate the BW masses of
both f0 (500) and K0⋆ (700), as well as the BW width of K0⋆ (700). We stress
again that here “BW” refers to the energy at which δl (E) = 90◦ , in the
context of the present simple pole model. Note that reality is more complicated, since the f0 (500) resonance overlaps with f0 (980) [3] and K0⋆ (700)
with K0⋆ (1430) [3], besides the influence of Adler zeros on the amplitudes
[4]. Nevertheless, the need for a uniform and unitary treatment of especially
broad resonances in experimental analyses is undeniable.
To conclude this section, we note that calculating MBW for f0 (500) and
K0⋆ (700) via the cross section instead of the amplitude’s modulus becomes
already problematic, while no ΓBW can even be defined at all. Also, for
inelastic resonances the mass discrepancy due to the use of a non-unitary
parametrisation can become as large as 170 MeV in the case of ρ(1450) [5].
3. Unitarity distortions of q q̄ spectra
Fully accounting for unitarity when describing meson resonances, or just
computing mass shifts of q q̄ states from real and virtual meson loops, can
give rise to enormous distortions of confinement spectra [6]. Moreover, it
can even lead to the dynamical generation of additional states. This allowed
the unitarised multichannel quark model of Ref. [7] to predict for the first
time a complete nonet of light scalar-meson resonances, whose predicted
masses and widths are still compatible with present-day PDG limits [3].
More recently, a strongly related model was formulated [8] in p-space, called
Resonance-Spectrum Expansion (RSE), resulting in a coupled-channel T matrix for non-exotic meson-meson scattering diagrammatically given by
M
T
=
M
+
q q̄
M
M
M
M
q q̄
M
+
q q̄
...
M
Here, the wiggly lines represent a tower of bare q q̄ states, which couple
to two-meson channels via a 3P0 vertex. For more details and closed-form
multichannel expressions, see e.g. Ref. [9]. Using the RSE formalism, a
coupled-channel calculation of light and intermediate scalar mesons was
carried out in Ref. [10], yielding the poles
f0 (500) :
f0 (980) :
a0 (980) :
K0⋆ (700) :
(464 − i217) MeV, f0 (1370) :
(987 − i29) MeV,
f0 (1500) :
(1023 − i47) MeV, a0 (1450) :
(722 − i266) MeV, K0∗ (1430) :
(1335 − i185) MeV;
(1530 − i14) MeV;
(1420 − i185) MeV;
(1400 − i96) MeV.
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These results are close to those found in the r-space model of Ref. [7]. Note
again the generation of two scalar resonances for each bare P -wave q q̄ state.
The possible doubling of resonances due to unitarisation becomes yet
more peculiar in cases where it is not even clear which is the intrinsic one
⋆ (2317) [3]
and which the dynamically generated state. For example, the Ds0
scalar cs̄ meson showed up as a dynamical state in a simple RSE model [11]
with only the DK channel included, but as a strongly mass-shifted intrinsic
state in the multichannel RSE calculation of Ref. [12]. This cross-over is
demonstrated in more detail for the χc1 (2P ) [3] (old X(3872)) axial-vector
cc̄ state in Ref. [13], with being an intrinsic or dynamical state depending
on fine details of the model’s parameters. Clearly, this ambiguity in the
⋆ (2317) and χ (2P ), as well as of probably
quark-model assignment of Ds0
c1
several other mesons, has severe implications for spectroscopy.
4. Non-resonant peaks from unitary production amplitudes
Most meson resonances are nowadays not observed in meson-meson scattering, mainly extracted from meson-proton data, but rather in production
processes, like e.g. e+ e− annihilation or B-meson decays. In these situations
no initial q q̄ annihilation takes place, as the starting point is already an isolated q q̄ pair, resulting from a virtual photon in e+ e− or as a decay product
from a heavier meson like e.g. J/ψ or B. The corresponding production
amplitude P is defined [14] in the RSE formalism as a non-resonant, lead
term plus its infinite rescattering series via the above RSE T -matrix, i.e.,
P =
+ ...
or Pk = Re(Zk ) + i l Zl Tkl , with the Zk being purely kinematical functions related to the q q̄–meson-meson vertex. In the RSE model of Ref. [14],
where the detailed expressions can be found, the Zk are spherical Hankel(1)
functions and their real parts spherical Bessel functions. The PP
k compo⋆ P.
nents satisfy [14, 15] the extended-unitarity relation Im(Pk ) = l Tkl
l
Note that this can be rewritten in terms of purely imaginary functions Z̃k ,
so without the inhomogeneous term, but then the real functions iZ̃k would
necessarily include elements of the T -matrix itself and so not be purely
kinematical anymore [16].
There can be many applications of our production formalism in hadron
spectroscopy. In Ref. [17] several structures are analysed in K + K − , DD̄,
B B̄, and Λc Λ̄c data. The most dramatic conclusions are that Υ(10580) and
X(4660) (now called ψ(4660) [3]) are probably not genuine resonances but
rather enhancements rising from the B B̄ and Λc Λ̄c thresholds, respectively.
P
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5. Conclusions
We have shown unitarity to be an essential constraint in analysing scattering data in order to allow an unambiguous determination of resonance
parameters, even in the elastic case. On the other hand, in quark models a
unitary description of meson resonances may lead to enormous deviations
from the naive bound-state spectra, and moreover give rise to extra states
not present in the bare spectra. Finally, unitarity also plays a fundamental
role in production processes, by relating them to scattering and yielding
threshold enhancements that may be mistaken for true resonances. The
consequences for modern meson spectroscopy are far-reaching.
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