Introduction - V -Particles and heavy mesons

Abstract

This brief review was designed to serve us an introduction to the discussion on V -particles and heavy mesons. I attempted to treat the subject in such a way that the main problems and methods might be understood by scientists not specialists in the field. It seemed profitable to include a brief outline of the history of the discovery of the μ - and π -mesons, both for completeness and because the methods employed are closely similar to those being used in the study of heavier mesons. A glossary of the principal terms employed is given as an appendix.