Nucleon resonances and the production of light vector mesons near thresholds

Abstract

The production of the light vector mesons $V = \rho, \omega, \phi$ in the reactions $\pi N \to V N$ and $N N \to V N N$ near threshold is studied. The subsequent electromagnetic decay $V \to \gamma^* \to e^+ e^-$ is particularly suited for exploring subthreshold $\omega N$ resonances.