Properties of the vector meson nonet at large N_c beyond the chiral limit

Abstract

Masses and especially coupling constants of the vector meson nonet are determined in the large-N_c limit, but beyond the chiral limit taking into account terms up to quadratic order in the Goldstone boson masses. With two input parameters five coupling constants for hadronic and dilepton decays are determined which agree very well with the experimental results. The obtained parameters are also used to calculate the pion and kaon decay constant in the large-N_c limit. A consistent picture is only obtained, if the correct assignment of the N_c-dependence of the electromagnetic charges of the quarks is taken into account.

Comments: 12 pages, strongly rewritten, more focussed on the central issue