Selected vector-meson decay-distributions in reactions of polarized photons with protons

Abstract

We develop a formalism for studying vector meson ($V$) photo-production at the proton ($p$) with polarized photons, $\vecγp \to V p $, through an analysis of the decay distribution in the channel $V\toπ^0γ$. We show that this decay distribution differs noticeably from the distributions of purely hadronic decays, like $ϕ\to K^+K^-$, $ω\to π^0π^+π^-$. Formulas for the decay distributions are presented which are suitable for data analysis and interpretation.

3 pages, 2 figures