Speaker
Description
We present the first calculations of the masses of heavy and heavy–light tensor and axial-tensor mesons with total angular momentum up to J=3, obtained within the Covariant Spectator Theory (CST). This fully-relativistic Minkowski-space framework describes the quark–antiquark interaction through a covariant generalization of a one-gluon-exchange plus linear-confining potential. The CST formalism—previously applied successfully to heavy and heavy–light mesons with Jπ=0± and 1±—is here extended to arbitrary spin-parity Jπ. Our model involves a small set of parameters, determined from global fits to the measured spectra up to J=3. Our results provide a very good description of the existing experimental data and predict some yet unobserved states. These predictions may guide future experimental searches at facilities such as LHCb and Belle II. Furthermore, the model offers a systematic framework for analyzing the partial-wave compositions, and for assigning quantum numbers to still undetermined quark–antiquark states listed in the PDG. It also contributes to the identification of possible non–quark–antiquark configurations.