Gauge model of vector-meson masses

We construct a model of the strong interactions with spontaneously broken U (3) × U (3) gauge symmetry based on the ideas of Bardakci and Halpern and interpret the gauge bosons as the observed strongly interacting vector mesons. We assume that global SU(3) is broken only by terms of dimensions less than four in the Lagrangian. The model that arises is a trivial generalization of the "strong" part of the Bars-Halpern-Yoshimura model. This leads to a well-satisfied relation among the ρ, K*, A₁, $K_A$, ω, and φ masses.