On the transition form factors of the axial-vector resonance $f_1(1285)$ and its decay into $e^+e^-$

Understand

Estimating the contribution from axial-vector intermediate states to hadronic light-by-light scattering requires input on their transition form factors (TFFs).

• Due to the Landau-Yang theorem, any experiment sensitive to these TFFs needs to involve at least one virtual photon, which complicates their measurement.
• Phenomenologically, the situation is best for the $f_1(1285)$ resonance, for which information is available from $e^+e^-\to e^+e^- f_1$, $f_1\to 4\pi$, $f_1\to \rho \gamma$, $f_1\to \phi \gamma$, and $f_1\to e^+e^-$.
• We provide a comprehensive analysis of the $f_1$ TFFs in the framework of vector meson dominance, including short-distance constraints, to determine to which extent the three independent TFFs can be constrained from the available experimental input, a prerequisite for improved calculations of the axial-vector contribution to hadronic light-by-light scattering.