Scalar mesons and rare radiative decays of the phi Meson

The scalar mesons, the f(o)(980) and the a(o)(980), have been receiving much attention of late. The low values of their masses and widths bring into question their assignment to the P-3(o) <q(q)over bar> scalar nonet and recent Crystal Barrel results have uncovered scalar states with more appropriate masses and widths. It has been suggested that the f,(980) and the a,(980) are molecules or 4-quark states. This talk will review recent results from BNL (Brookhaven AGS) experiment E852 in which the f(o)(980) and the a(o)(980) are produced in the pi pi and pi eta channels, respectively, in pi(-)induced reactions. Hadroproduction characteristics of these states may reveal their nature. The a,(980) is also observed in f(1)(1285) --> eta pi pi. At JLAB (formerly CEBAF), an experiment is under construction to look for the rare radiative decays phi --> f(o)(980)gamma and phi --> a(o)(980)gamma. The ratio of these branching ratios is also expected to provide information on the substructure of these scalars. These measurements are feasible since intense photon beams will yield a high rate of phi's. The possibility also exists of studying low-mass pi pi and pi eta scattering in eta' --> eta pi pi at BNL and JLAB.