General Nondynamical Formalism for Reactions with Particles of Arbitrary Spin: Composite Reactions and Partial-Wave Expansions

Abstract

The mathematical techniques developed in a previous paper for basic constituent reactions are now extended to composite reactions involving four particles of arbitrary spins and parities. The nondynamical description of the various ways to couple the spins is considered in detail. The coupling together of the initial spins, on the one hand, and of the final spins, on the other, permits one to develop the partial-wave expansion of the resulting nondynamical form factors. The Appendices include many specific examples of commonly occurring reactions.