Transformation between current and constituent quarks and transitions between hadrons

Abstract

The transformation from current- to constituent-quark basis states is discussed. Certain algebraic properties of the transformed vector and axial-vector currents are abstracted from the free-quark model and assumed to hold in nature. Supplemented by the partially conserved axial-vector current hypothesis and assumptions about the identification of the observed hadrons with simple constituent-quark states, the algebraic properties of the transformed currents are used to compute the pion and photon transitions between any two hadron states. General selection rules are stated. Many specific matrix elements for both meson and baryon decays are tabulated, and both their magnitudes and signs are compared with experiment.