Abstract
We re-analyze the predictions of chiral-soliton models for the masses and
decay widths of baryons in the exotic antidecuplet of flavour SU(3). The calculated
ranges of the chiral-soliton moment of inertia and the π-nucleon scattering N term
are used together with the observed baryon octet and decuplet mass splittings to
estimate 1430 MeV < m + < 1660 MeV and 1790 MeV < m −− < 1970 MeV.
These are consistent with the masses reported recently, but more precise predictions
rely on ambiguous identifications of non-exotic baryon resonances. The overall decay
rates of antidecuplet states are sensitive to the singlet axial-current matrix element
in the nucleon. Taking this from polarized deep-inelastic scattering experiments, we
find a suppression of the total + and −− decay widths that may not be sufficient by
itself to reproduce the narrow widths required by experiments. We calculate SU(3)
breaking effects due to representation mixing and find that they tend to suppress
the + decay width, while enhancing that of the −−. We predict light masses for
some exotic 27 baryons, including the I = 1, JP = 3
2
+ + and I = 3
2 , JP = 3
2
+
multiplets, and calculate their decay widths.