QCD Sum Rules, a Modern Perspective

An introduction to the method of QCD sum rules is given for those who want to learn how to use this method. Furthermore, we discuss various applications of sum rules, from the determination of quark masses to the calculation of hadronic form factors and structure functions. Finally, we explain the idea of the light-cone sum rules and outline the recent development of this approach.Comment: 84 pages, 14 figures, Latex,epsfig,sprocl.sty. To be published in the Boris Ioffe Festschrift ''At the Frontier of Particle Physics / Handbook of QCD'', edited by M. Shifman (World Scientific, Singapore, 2001)

Exotic JPC=1−+J^{PC}=1^{-+} mesons in a holographic model of QCD

Mesons with quantum numbers $J^{PC}=1^{-+}$ cannot be represented as simple quark-antiquark pairs. We explore hybrid configurations in the light meson sector comprising a quark, an antiquark and an excited gluon, studying the properties of such states in a phenomenological model inspired by the gauge/gravity correspondence. The computed mass, compared to the experimental mass of the $1^{-+}$ candidates $\pi_1(1400)$, $\pi_1(1600)$ and $\pi_1(2015)$, favous $\pi_1(1400)$ as the lightest hybrid state. An interesting result concerns the stability of hybrid mesons at finite temperature: they disappear from the spectral function (i.e. they melt) at a lower temperature with respect to other states, light vector and scalar mesons, and scalar glueballs.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure

Open charm meson spectroscopy: Where to place the latest piece of the puzzle

We discuss how to classify the $c{\bar s}$ meson $D_{sJ}(3040)$ recently discovered by the BaBar Collaboration. We consider four possible assignments, together with signatures useful to distinguish among them.Comment: RevTeX, 5 pages, 1 eps figur