Spontaneous symmetry breaking and vector-meson dominance

This article is a continuation of our previous work on the rho-..pi.. puzzle. It examines further consequences of the unification of partial conservation of axial-vector current (PCAC) and vector-meson dominance (VMD) in which the pion is a Goldstone state and the rho is a ''dormant'' Goldstone state. Our new picture of the vector mesons does not require an A/sub 1/ meson although such a state is not ruled out. The Weinberg sum rules which provide the raison d'etre for the A/sub 1/ are reexamined. The first Weinberg sum rule can be accommodated without a narrow A/sub 1/ state although some enhancement seems required. Examining the J/sup P C/ = 1/sup + -/ nonet we conclude that a new state, the isoscalar octet partner of the B (1235) should exist around 1.7 GeV assuming ideal mixing. Without a detailed assumption on the mixing angle, its mass should be in the range 1.4 to 1.7 GeV. We also discuss the photon-rho interactions. In the standard VMD picture the predicted rate for rho ..-->.. ..pi.. + ..gamma.. fails by five standard deviations, while in our picture this undesired result is averted.