Light-by-light scattering sum rules in light of new data

Abstract

We evaluate the light-quark meson contributions to three exact light-by-light scattering sum rules in light of new data by the Belle Collaboration, which recently has extracted the transition form factors of the tensor meson $f_2(1270)$ as well as of the scalar meson $f_0(980)$. We confirm a previous finding that the $\eta, \eta^\prime$ and helicity-2 $f_2(1270)$ contributions saturate one of these sum rules up to photon virtualities around 1 GeV$^2$. At larger virtualities, our sum rule analysis shows an important contribution of the $f_2(1565)$ meson and provides a first empirical extraction of its helicity-2 transition form factor. Two further sum rules allow us to predict the helicity-0 and helicity-1 transition form factors of the $f_2(1270)$ meson. Furthermore, our analysis also provides an update for the scalar and tensor meson hadronic light-by-light contributions to the muon's anomalous magnetic moment.