Semi-Leptonic B Decay

The definitions and properties of elastic and inelastic Isgur-Wise form factors are reviewed. The nature of the "missing" exclusive semi-leptonic decay fraction is identified. The role that completeness sum rules play in relating form factors, spectroscopy, and model building is outlined.Comment: Latex2.09, uses sprocl.sty and epsf.sty. 10 pages with 3 postscript files included. Talk presented at the Conference on B Physics and CP Violation, March 24-27, 1997, Honolulu, Hawai

Universal Behavior in Excited Heavy-Light and Light-Light Mesons

A common pattern of large orbital and radial excitations in heavy-light and light-light mesons is demonstrated. Within a general potential model the Regge slopes of the light degrees of freedom for these mesons are shown to be in the ratio of two. The possibility of ``tower'' degeneracy occurs only with pure scalar confinement.Comment: Latex, 10 pages, 2 figures placed using epsf.sty. Z-compressed postscript version available at http://phenom.physics.wisc.edu/pub/preprints/1996/madph-96-970.ps.Z or at ftp://phenom.physics.wisc.edu/pub/preprints/1996/madph-96-970.ps.

CONFINEMENT IN RELATIVISTIC POTENTIAL MODELS

In relativistic potential models of quarkonia based on a Dirac-type of equation with a local potential there is a sharp distinction between a linear potential V which is vector-like and one which is scalar-like: There are normalizable solutions for a scalar-like V but not for a vector-like V. It is pointed out that if instead one uses an equation of the no-pair type, which is more natural from the viewpoint of field theory, this somewhat bizarre difference disappears.Comment: LaTeX, 4 page

Semi-leptonic B decays into higher charmed resonances

We apply HQET to semi-leptonic $B$ meson decays into a variety of excited charm states. Using three realistic meson models with fermionic light degrees of freedom, we examine the extent that the sum of exclusive single charmed states account for the inclusive semi-leptonic $B$ decay rate. The consistency of form factors with the Bjorken and Voloshin sum rules is also investigated.Comment: Latex, 27 pages. A few references and errors corrected, to appear in Phys. Rev.

From scalar to string confinement

We outline a connection between scalar quark confinement, a phenomenologically successful concept heretofore lacking fundamental justification, and QCD. Although scalar confinement does not follow from QCD, there is an interesting and close relationship between them. We develop a simple model intermediate between scalar confinement and the QCD string for illustrative purposes. Finally, we find the bound state masses of scalar, time-component vector, and string confinement analytically through semi-classical quantization.Comment: ReVTeX, 9 pages, 5 figure

Observations On the Potential Confinement of a Light Fermion

We consider possible dynamical models for a light fermion confined by a potential field. With the Dirac equation only Lorentz scalar confinement yields normalizable wavefunctions, while with the ``no pair'' variant of the Dirac equation only Lorentz vector confinement has normal Regge behaviour. A systematic investigation of Regge properties and phenomenological properties is carried out, including calculations of the Isgur-Wise function. We point out that the Isgur-Wise function provides a sensitive test of confinement models. In particular, the slope of the IW function at zero recoil point is found to be $\xi'(1)\simeq -0.90$ for the Dirac equation with scalar confinement, and $\xi'(1)\simeq -1.20$ for the no pair equation with vector confinement. Using heavy-light data alone we argue against scalar confinement.Comment: Latex (uses epsf macro), 25 pages of text, 12 postscript figures included. One reference is added and some typos are fixe