Baryons with two heavy quarks: Masses, production, decays, and detection

The large number of $B_c$ mesons observed by LHCb suggests a sizable cross section for producing doubly-heavy baryons in the same experiment. Motivated by this, we estimate masses of the doubly-heavy $J=1/2$ baryons $\Xi_{cc}$, $\Xi_{bb}$, and $\Xi_{bc}$, and their $J=3/2$ hyperfine partners, using a method which accurately predicts the masses of ground-state baryons with a single heavy quark. We obtain $M(\Xi_{cc}) = 3627 \pm 12$ MeV, $M(\Xi_{cc}^*)= 3690 \pm 12$ MeV, $M(\Xi_{bb}) = 10162 \pm 12$ MeV, $M(\Xi_{bb}^*)= 10184 \pm 12$ MeV, $M(\Xi_{bc}) = 6914 \pm 13$ MeV, $M(\Xi'_{bc}) = 6933 \pm 12$ MeV, and $M(\Xi_{bc}^*) = 6969 \pm 14$ MeV. As a byproduct, we estimate the hyperfine splitting between $B_c^*$ and $B_c$ mesons to be $68 \pm 8$ MeV. We discuss P-wave excitations, production mechanisms, decay modes, lifetimes, and prospects for detection of the doubly heavy baryons.Comment: 29 pages, no figures. More text and references added. To be published in Phys. Rev.

Exotic resonances due to η\eta exchange

The meson $X(3872)$ and several related states appear to be, at least in part, hadronic molecules in which a heavy flavored meson (such as $D^0$) is bound to another heavy meson (such as $\bar D^{*0}$). Although not the only effect contributing to the binding, pion exchange seems to play a crucial role in generating the longest-range force between constituents. Mesons without $u$ and $d$ light quarks (such as $D_s$) cannot exchange pions, but under suitable circumstances can bind as a result of $\eta$ exchange. Channels in which this mechanism is possible are identified, and suggestions are made for searches for the corresponding molecular states, including a manifestly exotic baryonic $\Lambda_c \bar D_s^*$ resonance decaying into $J/\psi~\Lambda$.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur

J/ψNJ/\psi N photoproduction on deuterium as a test for exotic baryons

We extend a previous study of photoproduction of exotic baryon resonances to the reaction $\gamma + d \to J/\psi + n + p$, which permits simultaneous investigation of the reactions $\gamma + p \to P_c^+ \to J/\psi~p$ \hbox{($n$ spectator)} and $\gamma + n \to P_c^0 \to J/\psi~n$ \hbox{($p$ spectator).} Here $P_c^+$ is an exotic baryon with quark content $c \bar c uud$, and $P_c^0$ is its hypothetical isospin partner with quark content $c \bar c ddu$. We find: \hbox{(1) The} cross section for $J/\psi~n$ photoproduction should be equal to that for $J/\psi~p$ photoproduction if these processes are dominated by the photon coupling to a $c\bar c$ pair. In that case the two processes are equal by isospin reflection. (2) If a $P_c^+$ candidate is a genuine $c \bar c u u d$ resonance, its isospin partner $P_c^0 = c \bar c d d u$ should have the same mass (again by isospin reflection). (3) In the absence of Fermi motion, the cross section for photoproduction of $P_c$ off a deuteron should be nearly the sum of two equal cross sections: $\sigma(\gamma p \to P_c^+)$ (spectator $n$) and $\sigma(\gamma n \to P_c^0)$ (spectator $p$). (4) The effects of Fermi motion are significant. They include smearing, form-factor suppression and offshellness. The upshot is that the resonance is significantly wider and the peak cross section off a deuteron is expected to be considerably less than twice that in $\gamma p$.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. To be submitted to Physics Letters

New Exotic Meson and Baryon Resonances from Doubly-Heavy Hadronic Molecules

We predict several new exotic doubly-heavy hadronic resonances, inferring from the observed exotic bottomonium-like and charmonium-like narrow states $X(3872)$, $Z_b(10610)$, $Z_b(10650)$, $Z_c(3900)$, and $Z_c(4020/4025)$. We interpret the binding mechanism as mostly molecular-like isospin-exchange attraction between two heavy-light mesons in a relative S-wave state. We then generalize it to other systems containing two heavy hadrons which can couple through isospin exchange. The new predicted states include resonances in meson-meson, meson-baryon, baryon-baryon, and baryon-antibaryon channels. These include those giving rise to final states involving a heavy quark $Q=c,b$ and antiquark $\bar Q' = \bar c,\bar b$, namely $D \bar D^*$, $D^* \bar D^*$, $D^* B^*$, $\bar B B^*$, $\bar B^* B^*$, $\Sigma_c \bar D^*$, $\Sigma_c B^*$, $\Sigma_b \bar D^*$, $\Sigma_b B^*$, $\Sigma_c \bar \Sigma_c$, $\Sigma_c \bar \Lambda_c$, $\Sigma_c \bar \Lambda_b$, $\Sigma_b \bar \Sigma_b$, $\Sigma_b \bar \Lambda_b$, and $\Sigma_b \bar \Lambda_c$, as well as corresponding S-wave states giving rise to $Q Q'$ or $\bar Q \bar Q'$.Comment: 8 pages, no figures, additional text and references, to be published in Phys. Rev. Letter

Discovery of doubly-charmed Xi_{cc} baryon implies a stable (b b ubar dbar) tetraquark

Recently LHCb discovered the first doubly-charmed baryon $\Xi_{cc}^{++} = ccu$ at $3621.40 \pm 0.78$ MeV, very close to our theoretical prediction. We use the same methods to predict a doubly-bottom tetraquark $T(bb\bar u\bar d)$ with $J^P{=}1^+$ at $10,389\pm 12$ MeV, 215 MeV below the $B^-\bar B^{*0}$ threshold and 170 MeV below threshold for decay to $B^-\bar B^0 \gamma$. The $T(bb\bar u\bar d)$ is therefore stable under strong and electromagnetic (EM) interactions and can only decay weakly, the first exotic hadron with such a property. On the other hand, the mass of $T(cc\bar u\bar d)$ with $J^P{=}1^+$ is predicted to be $3882\pm12$ MeV, 7 MeV above the $D^0 D^{*+}$ threshold and 148 MeV above $D^0 D^+ \gamma$ threshold. $T(bc\bar u\bar d)$ with $J^P{=}0^+$ is predicted at $7134\pm13$ MeV, 11 MeV below the $\bar B^0 D^0$ threshold. Our precision is not sufficient to determine whether $bc\bar u\bar d\,$ is actually above or below the threshold. It could manifest itself as a narrow resonance just at threshold.Comment: References added, typos corrected, plot updated. Conclusions unchange

Very narrow excited Ωc\Omega_c baryons

Recently LHCb reported the discovery of five extremely narrow excited $\Omega_c$ baryons decaying into $\Xi_c^+ K^-$. We interpret these baryons as bound states of a $c$-quark and a $P$-wave $ss$-diquark. For such a system there are exactly five possible combinations of spin and orbital angular momentum. The narrowness of the states could be a signal that it is hard to pull apart the two $s$-quarks in a diquark. We predict two of spin 1/2, two of spin 3/2, and one of spin 5/2, all with negative parity. Of the five states two can decay in $S$-wave and three can decay in $D$-wave. Some of the $D$-wave states might be narrower than the $S$-wave states. We discuss relations among the five masses expected in the quark model and the likely spin assignments and compare with the data. A similar pattern is expected for negative-parity excited $\Omega_b$ states. An alternative interpretation is noted in which the heaviest two states are $2S$ excitations with $J^P = 1/2^+$ and $3/2^+$, while the lightest three are those with $J^P = 3/2^-,3/2^-,5/2^-$ expected to decay via $D$-waves. In this case we expect $J^P = 1/2^-$ $\Omega_c$ states around 2904 and 2978 MeV.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures (expanded text, appendices, and references

Scaling of P-wave excitation energies in heavy-quark systems

A simple regularity in anticipating P-wave excitation energies of states with heavy quarks is noted. It can apply to systems such as the negative-parity $\Sigma_c$, $\Sigma_b$, and $\Omega_c$, $\bar Q Q$ quarkonia, and the bottom-charmed meson $B_c$. When one subtracts a term accounting for phenomenological energies of heavy quarks binding with one another in S-waves, the residual excitation energies display an approximately linear behavior in the reduced mass of constituents, all the way from the $\Lambda$ to the $\Upsilon$.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, discussion of B_s added, to be submitted to Phys. Rev. D. Third paragraph of last section modifie

Quark-level analogue of nuclear fusion with doubly-heavy baryons

The recent discovery by LHCb of the first doubly-charmed baryon $\Xi_{cc}^{++} = ccu$ at $3621.40 \pm 0.78$ MeV implies a large binding energy $\sim 130$ MeV between the two $c$ quarks. This strong binding enables a quark-rearrangement exothermic reaction $\,\Lambda_c \Lambda_c \to \Xi_{cc}^{++}\,n\,$ with $Q=12$ MeV, which is a quark-level analogue of deuterium-tritium nuclear fusion reaction $DT\to {}^4{\rm He}\,n$. Due to much larger binding energy between two $b$ quarks $\sim 280$ MeV, the analogous reaction with $b$ quarks, $\,\Lambda_b \Lambda_b \to \Xi_{bb}\,N\,$ is expected to have a dramatically larger $Q$-value, $138\pm 12$ MeV.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur

Multiquark States

Why do we see certain types of strongly interacting elementary particles and not others? This question was posed over 50 years ago in the context of the quark model. M. Gell-Mann and G. Zweig proposed that the known mesons were $q \bar q$ and baryons $qqq$, with quarks known at the time $u$ ("up"), $d$ ("down"), and $s$ ("strange") having charges (2/3,-1/3,-1/3). Mesons and baryons would then have integral charges. Mesons such as $qq \bar q \bar q$ and baryons such as $qqqq \bar q$ would also have integral charges. Why weren't they seen? They have now been seen, but only with additional heavy quarks and under conditions which tell us a lot about the strong interactions and how they manifest themselves. The present article describes recent progress in our understanding of such "exotic" mesons and baryons

Radiative Return Capabilities of a High-Energy, High-Luminosity e+e−e^+e^- Collider

An electron-positron collider operating at a center-of-mass energy $E_{CM}$ can collect events at all lower energies through initial-state radiation (ISR or radiative return). We explore the capabilities for radiative return studies by a proposed high-luminosity collider at $E_{CM}$ = 250 or 90 GeV, to fill in gaps left by lower-energy colliders such as PEP, PETRA, TRISTAN, and LEP. These capabilities are compared with those of the lower-energy $e^+e^-$ colliders as well as hadron colliders such as the Tevatron and the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Some examples of accessible questions in dark photon searches and heavy flavor spectroscopy are given.Comment: 26 pages, 11 figures, 5 table