Abstract: In this paper, we review results from studies with unconventional many-hadron systems containing mesons: systems with two mesons and one baryon, three mesons, some novel systems with two baryons and one meson, and finally, systems with many vector mesons, up to six, with their spins aligned forming states of increasing spin. We show that in many cases, one has experimental counterparts for the states found, while in some other cases, they remain as predictions, which we suggest to be searched in BESIII, Belle, LHCb, FAIR and other facilities.

Abstract: We present a work which is meant to inspire the few-body practitioners to venture into the study of new, more exotic, systems and to hadron physicists, working mostly on two-body problems, to move in the direction of studying related few-body systems. For this purpose we devote the discussions in the introduction to show how the input two-body amplitudes can be easily obtained using techniques of the chiral unitary theory, or its extensions to the heavy quark sector. We then briefly explain how these amplitudes can be used to solve the Faddeev equations or a simpler version obtained by treating the three-body scattering as that of a particle on a fixed center. Further, we give some examples of the results obtained by studying systems involving mesons. We have also addressed the field of many meson systems, which is currently almost unexplored, but for which we envisage a bright future. Finally, we give a complete list of works dealing with unconventional few-body systems involving one or several mesons, summarizing in this way the findings on the topic, and providing a motivation for those willing to investigate such systems.

Abstract: We have done a theoretical study of the gamma d -> pi(0)eta d reaction starting with a realistic model for the gamma N -> pi(0)eta N reaction that reproduces cross sections and polarization observables at low energies and involves the gamma N -> Delta(1700) -> eta Delta(1232) -> eta pi N-0 process. For the coherent reaction in the deuteron we considered the impulse approximation together with the rescattering of the pions and the eta on a different nucleon than the one where they are produced. We found this second mechanism very important since it helps share between two nucleons the otherwise large momentum transfer of the reaction. Other contributions to the gamma d -> pi(0)eta d reaction, involving the gamma N -> pi(+/-)pi N-0' process, followed by the rescattering of the pi(+/-) with another nucleon to give eta and a nucleon, have also been included. We find a natural explanation, tied to the dynamics of our model, for the shift of the eta-d mass distribution to lower invariant masses, and of the pi(0)-d mass distribution to larger invariant masses, compared to a phase space calculation. We also study theoretical uncertainties related to the large momenta of the deuteron wave function involved in the process as well as to the couplings present in the model. Striking differences are found with the experimental angular distribution and further theoretical investigations might be necessary.