Calculation of the Isgur-Wise function from a light-front constituent quark model

Abstract

The space-like elastic form factor of heavy-light pseudoscalar mesons is investigated within a light-front constituent quark model in order to evaluate the Isgur-Wise form factor. The relativistic composition of the constituent quark spins is properly taken into account using the Melosh rotations, and various heavy-meson wave function are considered, including the eigenfunctions of an effective light-front mass operator reproducing meson mass spectra. It is shown that in a wide range of values of the recoil the Isgur-Wise form factor exhibits a moderate dependence upon the choice of the heavy-meson wave function and is mainly governed by the effects of the confinement scale.