Recent Results on Spectroscopy from COMPASS

TL;DR

COMPASS at CERN has conducted extensive spectroscopy studies of light mesons using high-statistics data, leading to precise measurements of known resonances and the discovery of new states like the $a_1(1420)$, especially in the challenging spin-exotic wave.

Contribution

This work provides the largest data sample for the $ ho o 3 ext{pi}$ channel, introduces a novel amplitude analysis technique, and offers new insights into exotic meson states and resonance properties.

Findings

Confirmation of the $a_1(1420)$ resonance with unusual properties.

High-precision measurements of known resonances.

Insights into the spin-exotic $J^{PC} = 1^{-+}$ wave.

Abstract

The COmmon Muon and Proton Apparatus for Structure and Spectroscopy (COMPASS) is a multi-purpose fixed-target experiment at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) aimed at studying the structure and spectrum of hadrons. The two-stage spectrometer has a good acceptance for charged as well as neutral particles over a wide kinematic range and is thus able to measure a wide range of reactions. Light mesons are studied with negative (mostly $\pi^-$) and positive ($p$, $\pi^+$) hadron beams with a momentum of 190 GeV/$c$. The light-meson spectrum is investigated in various final states produced in diffractive dissociation reactions at squared four-momentum transfers to the target between 0.1 and 1.0 (GeV/$c$)$^2$. The flagship channel is the $\pi^-\pi^+\pi^-$ final state, for which COMPASS has recorded the currently largest data sample. These data not only allow for measuring the properties of known resonances with high precision, but also for searching for new states. Among these is a new resonance-like signal, the $a_1(1420)$, with unusual properties. The findings are confirmed by the analysis of the $\pi^-\pi^0\pi^0$ final state. Possible bias introduced by the parametrizations used to describe the $\pi\pi$ $S$-wave is studied using a novel analysis technique, which extracts the amplitude of the $\pi^+\pi^-$ sub-system as a function of $3\pi$ mass from the data. Of particular interest is the resonance content of the partial wave with spin-exotic $J^{PC} = 1^{-+}$ quantum numbers, which are forbidden for quark-antiquark states. This wave is studied in the two $3\pi$ channels. Further insight is gained by studying diffractively produced $\pi^-\eta$ or $\pi^-\eta'$ final states.