A quantum field theory for the scattering of hadrons with an infinite mass spectrum

The authors examine the possibility of constructing a quantum field theory of the scattering of a system of hadrons, which lie on Regge trajectories, by associating the spectrum with a mass operator involving an internal co-ordinate. In an explicit example involving an oscillator mass spectrum and a generalized phi /sup 3/ interaction, the tree graphs are shown to be multi-Regge behaved. However, the latter is linked to unphysical infrared singularities coming from the structure of the mass operator. They try to resolve the latter problem. As far as the physical interpretability of the theory is concerned, they propose a solution, which merges the bootstrap idea with a quark model type mass spectrum. (26 refs).