Regge trajectories in light and heavy mesons: the pattern of appearances and possible dynamical explanations

TL;DR

This paper reviews the Regge approach to hadron spectra, proposes a dynamical origin for quantum numbers, extends linear trajectories to heavy mesons, and discusses a non-string model explaining mass relations.

Contribution

It introduces a dynamical explanation for Regge trajectories and extends their applicability to heavy quarkonia with a new non-string model.

Findings

Linear radial trajectories with universal slope can be extended to heavy quarkonia.

A non-string model explains many mass relations and the emergence of linear Regge trajectories.

A dynamical origin for principal quantum numbers in light mesons is proposed.

Abstract

I briefly review the Regge approach to the hadron spectrum and advocate a dynamical emergence of principal quantum number in the known spectrum of light non-strange mesons. Further it is shown how the linear radial trajectories with universal slope can be extended to heavy quarkonia and a qualitative string interpretation is given. After that I discuss a recently proposed non-string model leading to a natural appearance of linear Regge trajectories and explaining many mass relations.