Eur. Phys. J. A (2005) 24: 437-443
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2005-10008-4

Original Article

The radiative decays φ↦γa₀/f₀ in the molecular model for the scalar mesons

¹ Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, B. Cheremushkinskaya 25, 117259, Moscow, Russia
² Institut für Kernphysik (Theorie), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425, Jülich, Germany

^* e-mail: j.haidenbauer@fz-juelich.de

Received: 27 January 2005
Accepted: 15 March 2005
Published online: 20 April 2005

Abstract

We investigate the radiative decays of the φ-meson to the scalar mesons a ₀(980) and f ₀(980). We demonstrate that, contrary to earlier claims, these decays should be of the same order of magnitude for a molecular state and for a compact state and, therefore, the available experimental information is consistent with both a molecular as well as a compact structure of the scalars. Thus, the radiative decays of the φ-meson into scalars establish a sizable K¯ component of the scalar mesons, but do not allow to discriminate between molecules and compact states.