Why is the decay of a neutral ρ meson to two neutral π's disallowed?

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SUMMARY

The decay of a neutral ρ meson (ρ0) to two neutral pions (π0) is disallowed due to conservation laws in particle physics. The ρ meson has a quantum number JP of 1-, while the neutral pions have a JP of 0-. Although parity conservation allows for the decay under certain conditions, the requirement that two identical π0 mesons cannot occupy an antisymmetric L=1 state ultimately prohibits this decay. In contrast, the decay of ρ0 to π- and π+ is allowed, highlighting the importance of charge conservation in strong interactions.

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Hi all. I'm looking at the decay of a neutral ρ meson to two neutral π's. I think it is disallowed but I can't figure out why. The J^{P} of the ρ is 1^{-} and 0^{-} for the neutral π's. The formula P(ρ^{0})=(-1)^{L}P(π^{0})P(π^{0}) then says that the decay is allowed provided the π's are produced in an L=1 state. If we insist that total angular momentum is conserved, we initially start with J=1 for the ρ which will decay to two π's with S=0 so using J=L+S, L=1 for the pions. If this argument is correct then the decay is not disallowed by parity. What else could disallow the decay? A colour argument? If it helps solve the problem ρ->π^{-}π^{+} is allowed.
 
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What else is conserved in strong interactions?
 
Two identical pi0s cannot be in an antisymmetric L=1 state.
 

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