SU(4) symmetry and the new resonances

Abstract

Using as a basis the idea that the new resonances discovered recently at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and at Brookhaven National Laboratory can be fitted into an SU(4)-symmetric scheme, we examine in detail the production and decay mechanisms of these resonances. A generalization of the Weinberg spectral-function sum rule is proposed which leads to quantitative predictions for the production cross sections of these resonances in $e\overline{e}$ annihilation. Several decay mechanisms are discussed, and arguments are presented, albeit somewhat qualitatively, to suggest that the dominant decay modes are $\psi \to {\eta }^{\prime }\gamma$ and ${\psi }^{\prime }\to \psi +2\mathrm{}\pi$. As an aid to the experimentalist searching for charmed particles, we have also tabulated the predicted masses of various mesons and baryons, using both the linear and the quadratic mass formulas.