Production and Decay of Intermediate Vector Mesons

Abstract

The decay of the intermediate vector meson of the weak interactions $W$ is discussed with emphasis on the modes $W\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2\ensuremath{\pi}$, $W\ensuremath{\rightarrow}K+\ensuremath{\pi}$. It is noted that if the $W$ mass is in the neighborhood of the observed $\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\pi}$ resonance at $\ensuremath{\sim}30{{m}_{\ensuremath{\pi}}}^{2}$, then the mode $W\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2\ensuremath{\pi}$ will dominate all others. The production of $W'\mathrm{s}$ by $\ensuremath{\pi}'\mathrm{s}$ and $K'\mathrm{s}$ is also discussed in terms of a "peripheral collision" model.