Issues in light meson spectroscopy: The case for meson spectroscopy at CEBAF

The author reviews some outstanding issues in meson spectroscopy. The most important qualitative issue is whether hadrons with explicit gluonic degrees of freedom exist. To answer this question requires a much better understanding of conventional q bar q mesons. The author therefore begins by examining the status of conventional meson spectroscopy and how the situation can be improved. The expected properties of gluonic excitations are discussed with particular emphasis on hybrids to give guidance to experimental searches. Multiquark systems are commented upon as they are likely to be important in the mass region under study and will have to be understood better. In the final section the author discusses the opportunities that CEBAF can offer for the study of meson spectroscopy