Abstract
A method for calculating scattering amplitudes at low to moderate energies in terms of their bound-state and resonant poles is presented. By comparing expressions obtained for s-wave scattering lengths with corresponding predictions of current algebra, the widths of the ρ, K*, Δ, and ω resonances are calculated in close agreement with experiment. Furthermore, without reference to current algebra, all the detailed features of πN elastic scattering (such as the behavior of the P11 phase shift) up to an energy of 400 MeV are obtained within an error of about 10 to 20%. The principal advantage of the present method over previous pole-dominance models is that the calculation of amplitudes has been reduced to the evaluation of a number of rapidly convergent integrals. In some cases, one or two undetermined subtraction constants must be introduced, but in the examples of πK and πN elastic scattering only one unknown constant arises, and it can be evaluated by means of the Adler self-consistency condition or an M=1 O(4) assignment for the pion.