Search for Pentaquarks at BABAR

Abstract

The results of searches for the strange pentaquark states, Theta(1540)+, Xi(1860)-- and Xi(1860)0 in data recorded by the BABAR experiment are presented. We search for these three states inclusively in 123.4 fb^-1 of e+ e- annihilation data produced at the PEP-II asymmetric storage rings; we find no evidence for their production in any physics process, and set limits on their production rates that are well below the measured rates for conventional baryons. We also search for Theta(1540)+ produced in interactions of electrons or hadrons in the material of the inner part of the detector. No evidence for this state is found in a sample with much higher statistics than similar electroproduction experiments that claim a signal.Comment: 4 pages, 4 postscript figues, contributed to the Proceedings of QCD 05, Montpellie