IMPORTANCE OF ETA PI DECAY MODE IN SPLIT A2 DECAY

If SU(3) symmetry is assumed and singlet-octet mixing is neglected, (a) the decay mode is forbidden for all negative CP states, (b) cannot appear in decays where the KK» mode is absent, (c) the KK» branching ratio is the same for all isovector octet bosons allowed to decay into . Violation of these predictions would suggest serious re-examination of other SU(3) decay predictions. Prediction (b) seems to be violated by preliminary data. If there are no violations, and and are both allowed, the only possible classification for either A2 peak with J<4 is 2++. © 1969 The American Physical Society.