Hypergraph-based decay analysis for predicting and classifying states beyond regge trajectories
Regge trajectories provide a simple geometric picture of hadron spectra, but particles at higher-spin and missing states often scatter from linear fits, raising questions about both experimental completeness and theoretical limits of the model. Here, we develop a unified data framework that integrates standard particle listings with hypergraph-based decay features, enabling systematic comparison across baryons and mesons. We employed orthogonal distance regression with bootstrap resampling to quantify uncertainties in slope and intercept estimates, while hypergraph-derived structural invariants (community purity, motif z-scores, and product entropy) serve as quantitative predictors of spectroscopic regularity, establishing decay topology as a microscopic determinant of macroscopic Regge behavior. Applying this hybrid approach to 20 [Formula: see text] baryon resonances, we obtain strong linear correlation (R2 = 0.90) with slope [Formula: see text] GeV-2, though elevated scatter ([Formula: see text]) correlates strongly with resonance width (r = 0.88, p < 0.001). While hypergraph features did not significantly improve explanatory power beyond quality controls in this pilot dataset ([Formula: see text], p = 0.42), we introduce a hypergraph-informed confidence framework for missing resonance predictions, where structural decay coherence provides quantitative reliability metrics beyond traditional trajectory extrapolation. Together, these results demonstrate how combining trajectory analysis with network-inspired methods can improve hadron classification and provide concrete predictions for future experimental searches.
Authors
- Julia Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5862-3427)
Institutions
- Colorado State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PLoS ONE
- Published
- 2026-04-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0346334
- Primary Topic
- Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00