2007 journal article
Light 1(-+) exotics: Molecular resonances
PHYSICS LETTERS B, 653(2-4), 216–223.
Highlights in the search for nonconventional (non q¯ q) meson states are the �1(1400) and �1(1600) exotic candidates. Should they exist, mounting theoretical arguments suggest that they are tetraquark molecular resonances excitable by meson rescattering. We report a new tetraquark calculation within a model field theory approximation to Quantum Chromodynamics in the Coulomb gauge supporting this conjecture. We also strengthen this claim by consistently contrasting results with exotic state predictions for hybrid (q¯ qg) mesons within the same theoretical framework. Our findings confirm that molecular-like configurations involving two color singlets (a resonance, not a bound state) are clearly favored over hybrid or colorexotic tetraquark meson (q¯ qq¯ q atoms) formation. Finally, to assist needed further experimental searches we document a useful off-plane correlator for establishing the structure of these exotic systems along with similar, but anticipated much narrower, states that should exist in the charmonium and bottomonium spectra.