Phenomenology of $f_2(1270)$ photoproduction at energies measured with the CLAS facility

Abstract

We investigate the photoproduction of the tensor meson $f_2(1270)$ on the proton within a Regge-based framework, focusing on the reaction $\gamma p \to p f_2(1270)$ in the few-GeV energy region. The production mechanism is modeled through the exchange of vector-meson Regge trajectories in the $t$-channel, including both $\rho$ and $\omega$ exchanges with phenomenologically motivated couplings. The scattering amplitudes are derived using Reggeized propagators and effective hadronic vertices, allowing for the calculation of differential cross sections in the narrow-width approximation. We further extend the analysis to the $\pi^+\pi^-$ invariant mass distribution by incorporating a relativistic Breit--Wigner description of the $f_2(1270)$ resonance.