Baryon resonances in large $N_c$ QCD

Abstract

We review the current status and present open challenges of large $N_c$ QCD baryon spectroscopy. After introducing the $1/N_c$ expansion method we first shortly revisit the latest achievements for the ground state properties. Next we discuss the applicability of this method to excited states, presenting two different approaches with their advantages and disadvantages. Selected results for the spectrum and strong and electromagnetic decays are described. We also show further developments supported by the qualitative compatibility between the quark excitation picture and the meson-nucleon scattering picture. We give a quantitative comparison between results obtained from the mass formula of the $1/N_c$ expansion method and quark models and shortly discuss the implications of different large $N_c$ limits.