Relativistic calculation of the two photon coupling of scalar and tensor mesons

The decay rates of scalar and tensor mesons into two photons are calculated in the Bethe-Salpeter bound state formalism. The suppression of the non-relativistic estimates due to relativistic kinematics is found to be substantial. Production crosssections in colliding beam experiments are estimated to be in the picobarn range. Also in the relativistic case the helicity 0 production cross-section of tensor mesons is found to be negligible.