Strong decays of radially excited mesons in a chiral approach

We study radial excitations of pseudoscalar and vector $q\overline{q}$ mesons within a chiral approach. We derive a general form for a chiral Lagrangian describing processes involving excited pseudoscalar and vector mesons. The parameters of the chiral Lagrangian are fitted using data and previous calculations in the framework of the $^{3}P_{0}$ model. Finite-width effects are examined and predictions for mesons previously not discussed are given. Available experimental data is analyzed whenever possible. Possible hints for exotic mesons and open interpretation issues are discussed.