Implications of unequal-mass kinematics for the Regge-pole model of vector-meson production

Abstract

Application of the Regge-pole model to vector-meson production by incident pseudoscalars is reexamined in the light of recent theoretical advances in the treatment of unequal-mass processes. It is found that in the absence of conspiracy between trajectories at t=0, the kinematic factors separated from the helicity amplitudes before Reggeization tend to suppress the effects of parity = (-1)^J exchanges relative to parity = (-1)^(J+1) contributions, in the region |t|≤0.2 GeV^2. This helps account for the experimental observation that, although απ is less than αA2,αω⋯, π exchange tends to dominate the forward peak wherever it is possible (production of ρ and K* mesons). This kinematic suppression also helps explain the failure of ρ exchange to dominate in ω production.

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