Quark-antiquark bound states in the relativistic spectator formalism

The quark-antiquark bound states are discussed using the relativistic spectator (Gross) equations. A relativistic covariant framework for analyzing confined bound states is developed. The relativistic linear potential developed in an earlier work is proven to give vanishing meson {r_arrow} q + {anti q} decay amplitudes, as required by confinement. The regularization of the singularities in the linear potential that are associated with nonzero energy transfers (i.e. q{sup 2} = 0, q{sup {mu}} {ne} 0) is improved. Quark mass functions that build chiral symmetry into the theory and explain the connection between the current quark and constituent quark masses are introduced. The formalism is applied to the description of pions and kaons with reasonable results