Covariant calculation of the properties of f(2) mesons in a generalized Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model - art. no. 035206

We use our covariant model of light-meson structure to study the f(2) tenso r mesons. Our model is a generalized Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model that in cludes a relativistic model of confinement. For the study of tensor mesons, we extend the Nn model to include interactions that contain gradients of t he quark fields. There are two such terms requiring the introduction of two additional coupling constants for the model. We find a good fit to the exp erimentally determined states. We obtain ten states below 2 GeV, while ther e are eight states in the data tables with energies less than 2 GeV, if we include the recently found f(J)(1750) in our list of f(2) mesons. We find f '(2) states of <s(s)over bar > structure at 1551, 1745, and 1767 MeV. The f irst two of these states have nodeless wave functions and may be identified with the f'(2)(1525) and the f(J)(1750), if J = 2 for the new state. (The state at 1767 MeV is a 2S <s(s)over bar > state, which may mix with the 174 5 MeV state to some degree.) Our analysis suggests a new classification for nonets of radially excited states that is based upon our relativistic mode l of light-meson structure. [S0556-2813(99)06608-X].