Decay constants in the heavy quark limit in models a la Bakamjian and Thomas

In quark models a la Bakamjian and Thomas, that yield covariance and Isgur-Wise scaling of form factors in the heavy quark limit, the decay constants f(n) and f1/2(n) of S-wave and P-wave mesons composed of heavy and light quarks are computed. Different Ansaetze for the dynamics of the mass operator at rest are discussed. Using phenomenological models of the spectrum with relativistic kinetic energy and regularized short distance part the decay constants in the heavy quark limit are calculated. The convergence of the heavy quark limit sum rules is also studied. (author)