A heretical view on linear Regge trajectories

TL;DR

This paper proposes that linear Regge trajectories in hadrons may originate from pion excitations rather than gluonic strings, suggesting a new perspective involving rotating pion field configurations and chiral solitons.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hypothesis that Regge trajectories stem from pion excitations, with a model based on rotating chiral solitons and pion fields, differing from traditional gluonic string models.

Findings

Universal slope computed from pion decay constant

Finite resonance widths explained by pion radiation

Quantum fluctuations yield Regge quantum numbers

Abstract

We discuss a possibility that linear Regge trajectories originate not from gluonic strings connecting quarks, as it is usually assumed, but from pion excitations of light hadrons. From this point of view, at large angular momenta both baryons and mesons lying on linear Regge trajectories are slowly rotating thick strings of pion field, giving rise to a universal slope computable from the pion decay constant. The finite resonance widths are mainly due to the semiclassical radiation of pion fields by the rotating elongated chiral solitons. Quantum fluctuations about the soliton determine a string theory which, being quantized, gives the quantum numbers for Regge trajectories.