# The low-mass 𝜎-meson: Is it an eyewitness of confinement?

## 1 Dispersion relation $`N/D`$-solution for the $`\pi \pi `$-scattering amplitude below 900 MeV

The pion-pion scattering partial amplitude being a function of the invariant energy squared, $`s=M_{\pi \pi }^2`$, can be represented as a ratio $`N(s)/D(s)`$, where $`N(s)`$ has left-hand cut, which is due to the ”forces” (the interactions due to $`t`$\- and $`u`$-channel exchanges), while the function $`D(s)`$ is determined by the rescatterings in the $`s`$-channel. $`D(s)`$ is given by the dispersion integral along the right-hand cut in the complex-$`s`$ plane:

$$A(s)=\frac{N(s)}{D(s)},D(s)=1\underset{4\mu _\pi ^2}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}\frac{ds^{}}{\pi }\frac{\rho (s^{})N(s^{})}{s^{}s+i0}.$$
(1)   
Here $`\rho (s)`$ is the invariant $`\pi \pi `$ phase space, $`\rho (s)=(16\pi )^1\sqrt{(s4\mu _\pi ^2)/s}`$. It is supposed in (1) that $`D(s)1`$ with $`s\mathrm{}`$ and CDD-poles are absent (a detailed presention of the $`N/D`$-method can be found in ).

The $`N`$-function can be written as an integral along the left-hand cut as follows:

$$N(s)=\underset{\mathrm{}}{\overset{s_L}{}}\frac{ds^{}}{\pi }\frac{L(s^{})}{s^{}s},$$
(2)   
where the value $`s_L`$ marks the beginning of the left-hand cut. For example, for the one-meson exchange diagram $`g^2/(m^2t)`$, the left-hand cut starts at $`s_L=4\mu _\pi ^2m^2`$, and the $`N`$-function in this point has a logarithmic singularity; for the two-pion exchange, $`s_L=0`$.

Below we work with the amplitude $`a(s)`$, which is defined as follows:

$$a(s)=\frac{N(s)}{8\pi \sqrt{s}\left(1P\underset{4\mu _\pi ^2}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}\frac{ds^{}}{\pi }\frac{\rho (s^{})N(s^{})}{s^{}s}\right)}.$$
(3)   
The amplitude $`a(s)`$ is related to the scattering phase shift: $`a(s)\sqrt{s/4\mu _\pi ^2}=\mathrm{tan}\delta _0^0`$. In Eq. (3) the threshold singularity is singled out explicitly, so the function $`a(s)`$ contains left-hand cut only as well as the poles corresponding to zeros of the denominator of the right-hand side (3): $`1=P\underset{4\mu _\pi ^2}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}(ds^{}/\pi )\rho (s^{})N(s^{})/(s^{}s)`$. The pole of $`a(s)`$ at $`s>4\mu _\pi ^2`$ corresponds to the phase shift value $`\delta _0^0=90^{}`$. The phase of the $`\pi \pi `$ scattering reaches the value $`\delta _0^0=90^{}`$ at $`\sqrt{s}=M_{90}850`$ MeV. Because of that, the amplitude $`a(s)`$ may be represented in the form:

$$a(s)=\underset{\mathrm{}}{\overset{s_L}{}}\frac{ds^{}}{\pi }\frac{\alpha (s^{})}{s^{}s}+\frac{C}{sM_{90}^2}+D.$$
(4)   
For the reconstruction of the low-mass amplitude, the parameters $`D,C,M_{90}`$ and $`\alpha (s)`$ have been determined by fitting to the experimental data. In the fit we have used the method, which has been approved in the analysis of the low-energy nucleon-nucleon amplitudes . Namely, the integral in the right-hand side of (4) has been replaced by the sum

$$\underset{\mathrm{}}{\overset{s_L}{}}\frac{ds^{}}{\pi }\frac{\alpha (s^{})}{s^{}s}\underset{n}{}\frac{\alpha _n}{s_ns}$$
(5)   
with $`\mathrm{}<s_ns_L`$.

The description of data within the $`N/D`$-solution, which uses six terms in the sum (5), is demonstrated on Fig. 1a. Parameters of the solution are given at Table 1. The scattering length in this solution is equal to $`a_0^0=0.22\mu _\pi ^1`$, the Adler zero is at $`s=0.12\mu _\pi ^2`$. The $`N/D`$-amplitude is sewed with the $`K`$-matrix amplitude of Refs. , and figure 1b demonstrates the level of the coincidence of the amplitudes $`a(s)`$ for both solutions (the values of $`a(s)`$ which correspond to the $`K`$-matrix amplitude are shown with error bars determined in ).

The dispersion relation solution has a correct analytic structure at the region $`|s|<1`$ GeV<sup>2</sup>. The amplitude has no poles on the first sheet of the complex-$`s`$ plane; the left-hand cut of the $`N`$-function after the replacement given by Eq. (5) is transformed into a set of poles on the negative piece of the real $`s`$-axis: six poles of the amplitude (at $`s/\mu _\pi ^2=5.2,9.6,10.4,31.6,36.0,40.0`$) represent the left-hand singularity of $`N(s)`$. On the second sheet (under the $`\pi \pi `$-cut) the amplitude has two poles: at $`s(4i14)\mu _\pi ^2`$ and $`s(70i34)\mu _\pi ^2`$ (see Fig. 2). The second pole, at $`s=(70i34)\mu _\pi ^2`$, is located beyond the region under consideration, $`|s|<1`$ GeV<sup>2</sup> (nevertheless, let us stress that the $`K`$-matrix amplitude  has a set of poles just in the region of the second pole of the $`N/D`$-amplitude). The pole near threshold, at

$$s(4i14)\mu _\pi ^2,$$
(6)   
is what we discuss. The $`N/D`$-amplitude has no poles at $`Re\sqrt{s}600900`$ MeV despite the phase shift $`\delta _0^0`$ reaches $`90^{}`$ here.

The data do not fix the $`N/D`$-amplitude rigidly. The position of the low-mass pole can be easily varied in the region $`Res(04)\mu _\pi ^2`$, and there are simultaneous variations of the scattering length in the interval $`a_0^0(0.210.28)\mu _\mu ^1`$ and Adler zero at $`s(01)\mu _\pi ^2`$.

The problem of the low-mass $`\sigma `$-meson was discussed previously. In the approaches which take into account the left-hand cut, the following positions of the pole singularities were found:   
(i) dispersion relation approach, $`s(0.2i22.5)\mu _\pi ^2`$ ,   
(ii) meson exchange models, $`s(3.0i17.8)\mu _\pi ^2`$ , $`s(0.5i13.2)\mu _\pi ^2`$ ,   
$`s(2.9i11.8)\mu _\pi ^2`$ ,   
(iii) linear $`\sigma `$-model, $`s(2.0i15.5)\mu _\pi ^2`$ ,   
which are in an agreement with our result.

However in Refs. , the pole singularities were obtained in the region of higher masses, at $`Res(710)\mu _\pi ^2`$.

## 2  Low-mass pole as the eyewitness of confinement

We believe that the existence of the low-mass pole in the $`00^{++}`$-amplitude is not an occasional event. The creation of a composite scalar/isoscalar particle with small mass should be associated with certain fundamental phenomenon at separations, which are large in hadronic scale: such a phenomenon may be the confinement.

The confinement interaction is modelled by the scalar potential in colour octet state, $`V_8(r)`$; the potential increases infinetely at large distances, $`V_8(r)r`$ at $`r\mathrm{}`$. The formation of the confinement potential is promptly related to the creation of a set of $`q\overline{q}`$-pairs, or a $`q\overline{q}`$-chain. The examples are provided by the multihadron production at $`\mu ^+\mu ^{}`$-annihilation (the transition $`\gamma ^{}q\overline{q}`$) or highly excited meson decay (transition $`M^{}q\overline{q}`$, see Fig. 3a). In the decay process of Fig. 3a, the flying away colour quarks produce a chain of the $`q\overline{q}`$-pairs due to which the colour of the upper quark flees to the bottom quark. The process of Fig. 3a results in cutting the self-energy diagram of Fig. 3b. The interaction block inside the quark loop is resposible for the formation of the colour potential $`V_8(r)`$; this block is shown separately in Fig. 3c.

The increase of $`V_8(r)r`$ at large $`r`$ means the existence of a strong singularity in the momentum representation at small $`|\stackrel{}{q}|`$: $`V_8(\stackrel{}{q}^2)1/\stackrel{}{q}^4`$. Using notations of Fig. 3c, one has $`\stackrel{}{q}^2=s`$. So, the set of diagrams of Fig. 3c–type being responsible for the confinement forces has a strong singularity near $`s=0`$.

The infinite increase of $`V_8(r)r`$ at $`r\mathrm{}`$, which is reproduced in the singular behaviour $`V_8(q^2)1/q^4`$ at $`q^20`$, represents an idealized picture of the confinement. In this picture the limit $`V_8(q^2)1/q^4`$ at $`q^20`$ can be interpreted as an exchange by massless composite colour-octet particle with a coupling growing infinetely: $`g^2(q^2)/q^2`$ with $`g^2(q^2)1/q^2`$ at small $`q^2`$. This composite colour-octet particle interacts as a whole system only at large distances: its compositeness guarantees the return to standard QCD at small $`r`$. At large distances, the strongly interacting colour-octet massless particle provides colour neutralization of the quark/gluon systems.

However, the colour screening effects (in particular, encountered in the production of white particles) cut the infinite growth of $`V_8(r)`$ at very large $`r`$ allowing the behaviour $`V_8(r)r`$ at $`r<R_{confinement}`$ only (for example, see Ref. ). It results in a softening of singular behaviour of $`V_8(q^2)`$ at $`q^20`$. Nevertheless, the $`s`$-channel pole singularities in the block of Fig. 3c–type may survive. Our point is that in this case the singularities at $`s0`$ reveal themseves not only in the colour-octet state but in colour-singlet one as well, i.e. in the $`\pi \pi `$-scattering amplitude.

To clarify this point, let us re-write the block of Fig. 3c in terms of the colour/flavour propagators (t’Hooft–Veneziano diagram). In Fig. 3d, the t’Hooft–Veneziano diagram which corresponds to the block of Fig. 3c is shown: solid line represents the propagation of colour and dashed line describes that of flavour. It is seen that

(i) in the $`s`$-channel the block contains two open colour lines, $`c=3`$ and $`\overline{c}=3`$, so one has two colour states in the $`s`$-channel, octet and singlet: $`c\overline{c}=1+8`$.

(ii) the two $`s`$-channel colour amplitudes, octet and singlet ones, are not suppressed in the $`1/N`$-expansion ($`N=N_c=N_f`$), that means that the same leading-$`N`$ subgroups of the diagrams are responsible for the formation of the octet and singlet amplitudes. Therefore, the positions of the pole singularities in both amplitudes are the same in the leading-$`N`$ terms. However, the next-to-leading terms (such as decay of the white state into $`\pi \pi `$) discharge the rigid degeneration of the octet and singlet states.

Summing up, in the leading-$`N`$ terms the pole structure near $`q^2=0`$ is the same both for colour–singlet and colour–octet amplitudes. The colour–octet amplitude providing the growth of the potential $`V_8(r)r`$ at $`rR_{confinement}`$ can have singularities near $`q^2=0`$. This means that the colour–singlet amplitude has similar singulariries. Because of that, corresponding white state can be named the eyewitness of confinement.

The existence of states, which may be called the eyewitnesses of confinement, was discussed in Ref. , though in Ref.  the scalar quartet $`(f_0(980),a_0(980))`$ was under discussion.

## 3 Conclusion

We have analysed the structure of the low-mass $`\pi \pi `$-amplitude in the region $`M_{\pi \pi }\begin{array}{c}<\hfill \\ \hfill \end{array}900`$ MeV using the dispersion relation $`N/D`$-method, which provides us with a possibility to take the left-hand singularities into consideration. The dispersion relation $`N/D`$-amplitude is sewed with that given by the $`K`$-matrix analysis performed at $`M_{\pi \pi }4501950`$ MeV . Obtained in this way the $`N/D`$-amplitude has a pole on the second sheet of the complex-$`s`$ plane near the $`\pi \pi `$ threshold. This pole corresponds to the existence of the low–energy bound state.

On the basis of the conventional confinement model, we argue that the confinement interaction can produce low-mass pole singularities both for the colour–octet and colour–singlet states. Then the colour–singlet scalar state, which reveals itself in the low-mass $`\pi \pi `$-amplitude, may be named the eyewitness of confinement.

## Acknowledgement

We thank A.V. Anisovich, Ya.I. Azimov, D.V. Bugg, Yu.L. Dokshitzer, H.R. Petry, A.V. Sarantsev and V.V. Vereschagin for fruitful discussions. The article is supported by the RFBR grant N 98-02-17236.