QCD and the Strange Baryon Spectrum

Abstract

The strange quark plays a unique role in QCD, reflecting its intermediate mass between the light and heavy quarks. In recent years, remarkable progress has been made in the spectroscopy of baryons with strangeness. Many new features of the strange baryon spectrum have been revealed by accurate experimental data with novel techniques, as well as systematic developments of theoretical framework to describe hadron resonances. The basic properties of strange baryons, namely, the pole positions, spin and parity, and decay branching ratios, are being determined accurately. As a consequence, the Particle Data Group have added new entries in the particle listings, such as the $Λ(1380)$ and the $Ω(2012)$. The developments of the spectroscopy stimulate intensive discussion on the exotic internal structure of strange baryons beyond the ordinary three-quark configuration. In this review, we introduce the basics of QCD, the scattering theory, and the exotic internal structure of hadrons, emphasizing the importance of the pole positions of the scattering amplitude for the characterization of hadron resonances. We then summarize the current status of selected strange baryon resonances; $Λ(1405)$, $Λ(1670)$, $Ξ(1620)$, $Ξ(1690)$, and $Ω(2012)$, from theoretical and experimental viewpoints.