# Partial widths 𝑎₀⁢(980)→𝛾⁢𝛾, 𝑓₀⁢(980)→𝛾⁢𝛾 and 𝑞⁢𝑞̄-classification of the lightest scalar mesons

## 1 Introduction

The determination of the lightest scalar $`q\overline{q}`$ nonet is a problem of principal importance both for quark systematics and the search for exotic states. The key query here is an understanding of the origin of $`a_0(980)`$ and $`f_0(980)`$ mesons: a study of decays $`a_0(980)\gamma \gamma `$ and $`f_0(980)\gamma \gamma `$ is an imperative step in the analysis of the structure of $`a_0(980)`$ and $`f_0(980)`$ (see, for example,  and references therein).

Here we perform the calculation of the scalar meson transition form factors $`a_0(980)\gamma ^{}(q^2)\gamma `$ and $`f_0(980)\gamma ^{}(q^2)\gamma `$ in the region of small $`q^2`$; these form factors, in the limit $`q^20`$, determine the partial widths $`a_0(980)\gamma \gamma `$ and $`f_0(980)\gamma \gamma `$. Our calculation is based on the spectral representation technique developed in  for a study of the pseudoscalar meson transitions $`\pi ^0\gamma ^{}(q^2)\gamma `$, $`\eta \gamma ^{}(q^2)\gamma `$ and $`\eta ^{}\gamma ^{}(q^2)\gamma `$.

In the region of moderately small $`q^2`$, where Strong-QCD works, the transition form factor $`q\overline{q}`$-meson $`\gamma ^{}(q^2)\gamma `$ is determined by the quark loop diagram of Fig. 1a which is a convolution of the $`q\overline{q}`$-meson and photon wave functions, $`\mathrm{\Psi }_{q\overline{q}}\mathrm{\Psi }_\gamma `$. The calculation of the process of Fig. 1a is performed in terms of the double spectral representation over $`q\overline{q}`$ invariant masses squared, $`s=(m^2+k_{}^2)/\left(x(1x)\right)`$ and $`s^{}=(m^2+k_{}^2)/\left(x(1x)\right)`$ where $`k_{}^2`$, $`k_{}^2`$ and $`x`$ are the light-cone variables and $`m`$ is the constituent quark mass. Following , we represent the photon wave function as a sum of two components which describe the prompt production of the $`q\overline{q}`$ pair at large $`s^{}`$ (with a point-like vertex for the transition $`\gamma q\overline{q}`$, correspondingly) and the production in the low-$`s^{}`$ region where the vertex $`\gamma q\overline{q}`$ has a nontrivial structure due to soft $`q\overline{q}`$ interactions. The process of Fig. 1a at moderately small $`|q^2|`$ is mainly determined by the low-$`s^{}`$ region, in other words by the soft component of the photon wave function.

The soft component of the photon wave function was restored in  on the basis of the experimental data for the transition $`\pi ^0\gamma ^{}(q^2)\gamma `$ at $`|q^2|1`$ GeV<sup>2</sup>. With the photon wave function found, the form factors $`a_0\gamma ^{}(q^2)\gamma `$ and $`f_0\gamma ^{}(q^2)\gamma `$ at $`|q^2|1`$ GeV<sup>2</sup> provide the opportunity to investigate in detail the scalar meson wave functions. However, the current data do not allow to perform a full analysis, so we restrict ourselves by the consideration of a one-parameter representation of the wave function of scalar mesons, this parameter being the mean radius squared $`R^2`$.

Within the assumption about $`q\overline{q}`$ structure of the lightest scalar mesons, the flavour content of $`a_0(980)`$ is fixed, thus allowing unambiguous calculation of the transition form factor $`a_0(980)\gamma \gamma `$. We obtain reasonable agreement with data at $`R_{a_0(980)}^2(1127)`$ GeV<sup>-2</sup> or, in terms of the pion radius squared, at $`R_{a_0(980)}^2/R_\pi ^21.12.7`$.

The partial width $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(f_0(980)\gamma \gamma )`$ depends on the relative weight of the strange and non-strange components of the scalar/isoscalar meson, $`s\overline{s}`$ and $`n\overline{n}`$. For the region of not very large $`R_{f_0(980)}^2`$, $`R_{f_0(980)}^2/R_\pi ^21.01.7`$, the agreement with data is attained at relatively large $`s\overline{s}`$ component in $`f_0(980)`$, that is, of the order of $`4060\%`$. It does not contradict the results of the analysis of two-meson spectra  according to which the lightest $`(IJ^{PC}=00^{++})`$-meson has a large $`s\overline{s}`$-component.

## 2 Decay amplitude and partial width

Below we present the formulae for the scalar/isoscalar meson decay $`f_0\gamma \gamma `$. The formulae for $`a_0\gamma \gamma `$ coincide in their principal points with those for $`f_0\gamma \gamma `$.

The amplitude for the scalar meson two-photon decay has the following structure:

$$A_{\mu \nu }=e^2g_{\mu \nu }^{}F_{f_0\gamma \gamma }(0,0).$$
(1)   
Here $`e`$ is the electron charge ($`e^2/4\pi =\alpha =1/137`$) and $`F_{f_0\gamma \gamma }(0,0)`$ is the form factor for the transition $`f_0\gamma (q^2)\gamma (q^2)`$ at $`q^2=0`$ and $`q^2=0`$, namely, $`F_{f_0\gamma \gamma }(0,0)=F_{f_0\gamma \gamma }(q^20,q^20)`$.

The metric tensor $`g_{\alpha \beta }^{}`$ determines the space perpendicular to $`q`$ and $`q^{}`$:

$$g_{\alpha \beta }^{}=g_{\alpha \beta }q_\alpha q_\beta \frac{q^2}{D}q_\alpha ^{}q_\beta ^{}\frac{q^2}{D}+(q_\alpha q_\beta ^{}+q_\alpha ^{}q_\beta )\frac{(qq^{})}{D},$$
(2)   
where $`D=q^2q^2(qq^{})^2`$.

### 2.1 Partial width

The partial width, $`\mathrm{\Gamma }_{f_0\gamma \gamma }`$, is determined as

$$m_{f_0}\mathrm{\Gamma }_{f_0\gamma \gamma }=\frac{1}{2}𝑑\mathrm{\Phi }_2(p_{f_0};q,q^{})\mathrm{\Sigma }_{\mu \nu }|A_{\mu \nu }|^2=\pi \alpha ^2|F_{f_0\gamma \gamma }(0,0)|^2.$$
(3)   
Here $`m_{f_0}`$ is the $`f_0`$-mass, the summation is carried over outgoing photon polarizations, the photon identity factor, $`\frac{1}{2}`$, is written explicitly, and the two-particle invariant phase space is equal to

$$d\mathrm{\Phi }_2(p_{f_0};q,q^{})=\frac{1}{2}\frac{d^3q}{(2\pi )^32q_0}\frac{d^3q^{}}{(2\pi )^32q_0^{}}(2\pi )^4\delta ^{(4)}\left(p_{f_0}qq^{}\right).$$
(4)   
### 2.2 Form factor $`F_{f_0\gamma \gamma }(q^2,q^2)`$

Following the prescription of Ref. , we present the amplitude of the process of Fig. 1a in terms of the spectral representation in the $`f_0`$ and $`\gamma (q^{})`$ channels. The double spectral representation reads

$$F_{f_0\gamma \gamma }(q^2,q^2)=2\underset{4m^2}{\overset{\mathrm{}}{}}\frac{dsds^{}}{\pi ^2}\frac{G_{f_0}(s)}{sm_{f_0}^2}$$
(5)   
$$\times d\mathrm{\Phi }_2(P;k_1,k_2)d\mathrm{\Phi }_1(P^{};k_1^{},k_2)Z_{f_0}T(P^2,P^2,q^2)\sqrt{N_c}\frac{G_{\gamma q\overline{q}}(s^{})}{s^{}q^2}.$$

In the spectral integral (5), the momenta of the intermediate states differ from those of the initial/final states. The corresponding momenta for intermediate states are re-denoted as shown in Fig. 1b:

$$qPP^{},q^{}P^{},p_{f_0}P,$$
(6)   
$$P^2=s,P^2=s^{},(P^{}P)^2=q^2.$$

It should be stressed that $`P^{}Pq`$. The two-particle phase space $`d\mathrm{\Phi }_2(P;k_1,k_2)`$ is determined by Eq. (4), while the one-particle space factor is equal to

$$d\mathrm{\Phi }_1(P^{};k_1^{},k_2)=\frac{1}{2}\frac{d^3k_1^{}}{(2\pi )^32k_{10}^{}}(2\pi )^4\delta ^{(4)}\left(P^{}k_1^{}k_2\right).$$
(7)   
The factor $`Z_{f_0}`$ is determined by the quark content of the $`f_0`$ meson: it is equal to $`Z_{n\overline{n}}=(e_u^2+e_d^2)/\sqrt{2}`$ for the $`n\overline{n}`$ component, and $`Z_{s\overline{s}}=e_s^2`$ for the $`s\overline{s}`$ component. The factor $`\sqrt{N_c}`$, where $`N_c=3`$ is the number of colours, is related to the normalization of the photon vertex made in Ref. . We have two diagrams: with quark lines drawn clockwise and anticlockwise; the factor $`2`$ in front of the right-hand side of Eq. (5) stands for this doubling. The vertices $`G_{\gamma n\overline{n}}(s^{})`$ and $`G_{\gamma s\overline{s}}(s^{})`$ were found in Ref. ; the wave function $`G_{\gamma n\overline{n}}(s)/s`$ is shown in Fig. 2.

We parametrize the $`f_0`$-meson wave function in the exponential form:

$$\mathrm{\Psi }_{f_0}(s)=\frac{G_{f_0}(s)}{sm_{f_0}^2}=Ce^{bs},$$
(8)   
where $`C`$ is normalization constant, and the parameter $`b`$ can be related to the $`f_0`$-meson radius squared.

### 2.3 Spin structure factor $`T(P^2,P^2,q^2)`$

For the amplitude of Fig. 1b with transverse polarized photons, the spin structure factor is fixed by the quark loop trace:

$$Tr[\gamma _\nu ^{}(\widehat{k}_1^{}+m)\gamma _\mu ^{}(\widehat{k}_1+m)(\widehat{k}_2m)]=T(P^2,P^2,q^2)g_{\mu \nu }^{}.$$
(9)   
Here $`\gamma _\nu ^{}`$ and $`\gamma _\mu ^{}`$ stand for photon vertices, $`\gamma _\mu ^{}=g_{\mu \beta }^{}\gamma _\beta `$, while $`g_{\mu \beta }^{}`$ is determined by Eq. (2) with the following substitution $`qPP^{}`$ and $`q^{}P^{}`$. Recall that the momenta $`k_1^{}`$, $`k_1`$ and $`k_2`$ in (9) are mass-on-shell.

One has

$$T(s,s^{},q^2)=2m\left[4m^2s+s^{}+q^2\frac{4ss^{}q^2}{2(s+s^{})q^2(ss^{})^2q^4}\right].$$
(10)   
### 2.4 Light cone variables

The formula (5) allows one to make easily the transformation to the light cone variables using the boost along the z-axis. Let us use the frame in which the initial $`f_0`$-meson is moving along the z-axis with the momentum $`p\mathrm{}`$:

$$P=(p+\frac{s}{2p},0,p),P^{}=(p+\frac{s^{}+q_{}^2}{2p},\stackrel{}{q}_{},p).$$
(11)   
Then the transition form factor $`f_0\gamma (q^2)\gamma `$ reads:

$$F_{f_0\gamma \gamma }(q^2,0)=\frac{2Z_{f_0}\sqrt{N_c}}{16\pi ^3}\underset{0}{\overset{1}{}}\frac{dx}{x(1x)^2}d^2k_{}\mathrm{\Psi }_{f_0}(s)\mathrm{\Psi }_\gamma (s^{})T(s,s^{},q^2),$$
(12)   
where $`x=k_{2z}/p`$ , $`\stackrel{}{k}_{}=\stackrel{}{k}_2`$, and the $`q\overline{q}`$ invariant masses squared are

$$s=\frac{m^2+k_{}^2}{x(1x)},s^{}=\frac{m^2+(\stackrel{}{k}_{}x\stackrel{}{q}_{})^2}{x(1x)}.$$
(13)   
### 2.5 Meson charge form factor

In order to relate the wave function parameters $`C`$ and $`b`$ of Eq.(8) to the $`f_0`$-meson radius squared, we calculate the meson charge form factor shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1c. The amplitude has the following structure

$$A_\mu =(p_{f_0\mu }+p_{f_0\mu }^{})F_{f_0}(q^2),$$

where the meson charge form factor $`F_{f_0}(q^2)`$ is a convolution of the $`f_0`$-meson wave functions $`\mathrm{\Psi }_{f_0}\mathrm{\Psi }_{f_0}`$:

$$F_{f_0}(q^2)=\frac{1}{16\pi ^3}\underset{0}{\overset{1}{}}\frac{dx}{x(1x)^2}d^2k_{}\mathrm{\Psi }_{f_0}(s)\mathrm{\Psi }_{f_0}(s^{})S(s,s^{},q^2).$$
(14)   
$`S(s,s^{},q^2)`$ is determined by the quark loop trace in the intermediate state:

$$Tr[(\widehat{k}_1+m)\gamma _\mu ^{}(\widehat{k}_1^{}+m)(\widehat{k}_2m)]=[P_\mu ^{}+P_\mu \frac{s^{}s}{q^2}(P_\mu ^{}P_\mu )]S(s,s^{},q^2),$$
(15)   
where

$$\gamma _\mu ^{}=g_{\mu \nu }^{}\gamma _\nu ,g_{\mu \nu }^{}=g_{\mu \nu }(P_\mu ^{}P_\mu )(P_\nu ^{}P_\nu )/q^2.$$
(16)   
One has

$$S(s,s^{},q^2)=\frac{q^2(s^{}+sq^2)(s^{}+sq^28m^2)}{2(s+s^{})q^2(s^{}s)^2q^4}+q^2.$$
(17)   
The low-$`q_{}^2`$ charge form factor,

$$F_{f_0}(q^2)1\frac{1}{6}R^2q_{}^2,$$
(18)   
determines the $`f_0`$-meson wave function parameters, $`C`$ and $`b`$.

### 2.6 First radial excitation states, $`2^3P_0q\overline{q}`$

Equation (8) stands for the wave function of the basic state; the wave function of the first radial excitation can be written within an exponential approximation as

$$\mathrm{\Psi }_{f_0}^{(1)}(s)=C_1(D_1s1)e^{b_1s}.$$
(19)   
The parameter $`b_1`$ can be related to the radius of the radial excitation state, then the values $`C_1`$ and $`D_1`$ are fixed by the normalization and orthogonality requirements, $`\left[\mathrm{\Psi }_{f_0}^{(1)}\mathrm{\Psi }_{f_0}^{(1)}\right]_{q^2=0}=1`$ and $`\left[\mathrm{\Psi }_{f_0}\mathrm{\Psi }_{f_0}^{(1)}\right]_{q^2=0}=0`$.

## 3 Results

Using Eqs. (8), (12) and (19), we calculate $`\gamma \gamma `$ partial widths of the $`1^3P_0q\overline{q}`$ and $`2^3P_0q\overline{q}`$ mesons.

### 3.1 Partial widths $`a_0(980)\gamma \gamma `$ and $`a_0(1450_{20}^{+90})\gamma \gamma `$

The partial width $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(a_0(980)\gamma \gamma )`$ is determined by the same equation as for $`f_0(980)`$-decay, Eq. (12), with the only substitution $`Z_{f_0}Z_{a_0}=(e_u^2e_d^2)/\sqrt{2}=1/(3\sqrt{2})`$. The value $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(a_0(980)\gamma \gamma )`$ is shown in Fig. 3 as a function of $`R_{a_0(980)}^2`$. Experimental study of $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(a_0(980)\gamma \gamma )`$ was carried out in Refs. , the averaged value is: $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(\eta \pi )\mathrm{\Gamma }(\gamma \gamma )/\mathrm{\Gamma }_{total}=0.24_{0.07}^{+0.08}`$ keV . Using $`\mathrm{\Gamma }_{total}\mathrm{\Gamma }(\eta \pi )+\mathrm{\Gamma }(K\overline{K})`$, we have $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(a_0(980)\gamma \gamma )=0.30_{0.10}^{+0.11}`$ keV. The calculated value of $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(a_0(980)\gamma \gamma )`$ agrees with data at $`R_{a_0(980)}^2=19\pm 8`$ GeV<sup>-2</sup>: this value looks quite reasonable for a meson of the $`1^3P_0q\overline{q}`$ multiplet.

If $`a_0(980)`$ is a member of the basic $`1^3P_0q\overline{q}`$ multiplet, the scalar/isoscalar meson $`a_0(1450_{20}^{+90})`$ is the first radial excitation meson, a member of the $`2^3P_0q\overline{q}`$ multiplet. Figure 3b demonstrates the values of partial widths $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(a_0(1450_{20}^{+90})\gamma \gamma )`$: in the calculation, we use $`m_{a0(1450_{20}^{+90})}=1535`$ MeV following the results of the analysis  and put $`R_{a_0(1450)}/R_{a_0(980)}1.22`$ assumimg that radii of the mesons of the $`2^3P_0q\overline{q}`$ multiplet are larger than those for $`1^3P_0q\overline{q}`$.

The transition form factor $`F_{a_0(1450)\gamma \gamma }`$ is a convolution of two wave functions, $`\mathrm{\Psi }_{a_0(1450)}\mathrm{\Psi }_\gamma `$, one of them being the wave function of the first radial excitation changes the sign, see Eq. (19). This fact results in a relative suppression of the decay $`a_0(1450_{20}^{+90})\gamma \gamma `$: $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(a_0(1450_{20}^{+90})\gamma \gamma )/\mathrm{\Gamma }(a_0(980)\gamma \gamma )1/10`$.

### 3.2 Partial $`\gamma \gamma `$-widths for scalar/isoscalar mesons of $`1^3P_0q\overline{q}`$ and $`2^3P_0q\overline{q}`$ multiplets

In the analysis of $`f_0\gamma \gamma `$ decays, one should take into account that the scalar/isoscalar mesons in the mass range $`12`$ GeV are mixtures of not only $`n\overline{n}`$ and $`s\overline{s}`$ components but the gluonium state as well. Therefore, the transition form factor of the $`f_0`$-meson reads:

$$F_{f_0\gamma \gamma }=\mathrm{cos}\alpha (\mathrm{cos}\varphi F_{f_0(n\overline{n})\gamma \gamma }+\mathrm{sin}\varphi F_{f_0(s\overline{s})\gamma \gamma })$$
(20)   
where $`\mathrm{sin}^2\alpha `$ is the probability of the gluonium component in $`f_0`$-meson, and $`\varphi `$ is mixing angle for $`n\overline{n}`$ and $`s\overline{s}`$ components: $`\psi _{f_0}^{flavour}=\mathrm{cos}\varphi n\overline{n}+\mathrm{sin}\varphi s\overline{s}`$. According to the estimations of Ref. , $`\mathrm{cos}^2\alpha 0.70.9`$ for the $`f_0`$-mesons of $`1^3P_0q\overline{q}`$ and $`2^3P_0q\overline{q}`$ multiplets.

Figure 3c demonstrates the partial $`\gamma \gamma `$-widths for $`f_0(980)`$ calculated under assumptions that $`f_0(980)`$ is either a pure $`n\overline{n}`$ state (solid curve) or pure $`s\overline{s}`$ (dashed curve). Experimental analyses give $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(f_0(980)\gamma \gamma )=0.42\pm 0.06\pm 0.18`$ keV  and $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(f_0(980)\gamma \gamma )=0.63\pm 0.14`$ keV ; the averaged value reads: $`\mathrm{\Gamma }(f_0(980)\gamma \gamma )=0.56\pm 0.11`$ keV . Our calculation shows that this value can be easily understood if $`f_0(980)`$ has a significant $`s\overline{s}`$ component. For example, for $`R_{f_0(980)}^2=11`$ GeV<sup>-2</sup> and $`\alpha =0`$, the data can be described either with $`\varphi 35^o`$ or $`\varphi 63^o`$. The existence of a significant $`s\overline{s}`$-component in $`f_0(980)`$ agrees with the results of analysis  for the two-meson spectra.

Figure 3d shows the $`f_0(1500)\gamma \gamma `$ partial widths calculated for pure $`n\overline{n}`$ and $`s\overline{s}`$ components within the assumption that these $`q\overline{q}`$ components belong to $`2^3P_0`$ multiplet. One can see a strong suppression of the $`\gamma \gamma `$ decay mode for both components, $`n\overline{n}`$ and $`s\overline{s}`$. The origin of this suppression is the same as for the decay $`a_0(1450_{20}^{+90})\gamma \gamma `$: this is an approximate orthogonality of the photon and $`(2^3P_0q\overline{q})`$-meson wave functions in the coordinate/momentum space.

## 4 Conclusion

Here we continue the investigation of the meson two-photon decays started in Ref. , where the partial widths $`\pi \gamma \gamma `$, $`\eta \gamma \gamma `$ and $`\eta ^{}\gamma \gamma `$ were calculated. In the present paper, we have calculated partial widths $`a_0(980)\gamma \gamma `$ and $`f_0(980)\gamma \gamma `$ assuming that the mesons $`a_0(980)`$ and $`f_0(980)`$ are members of the basic $`1^3P_0q\overline{q}`$ multiplet: the results are in a reasonable agreement with the data. This supports the idea of $`q\overline{q}`$ origin of the scalar mesons $`a_0(980)`$ and $`f_0(980)`$ and gives the argument that the lightest scalar nonet is located near $`1000`$ MeV (see discussion in Refs.  and in references therein).

A successful description of the data is due to two principal points taken into account in the calculation: (i) the spin structure and relativistic corrections are included into consideration in the framework of the relativistic light-cone technique, (ii) the subprocess $`q\overline{q}\gamma \gamma `$, which was found previously in , is used in the numerical analysis.

We are graceful to L.G. Dakhno, D.I. Melikhov and A.V. Sarantsev for useful discussions. The paper is suppored by grants RFFI 96-02-17934 and INTAS-RFBR 95-0267.