A1 Journal article (refereed)
Investigating the nature of the K∗0(700) state with π±K0S correlations at the LHC (2024)

ALICE Collaboration. (2024). Investigating the nature of the K∗0(700) state with π±K0S correlations at the LHC. Physics Letters B, 856, Article 138915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2024.138915

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Publication details

All authors or editors: ALICE Collaboration

Journal or series: Physics Letters B

ISSN: 0370-2693

eISSN: 1873-2445

Publication year: 2024

Publication date: 30/07/2024

Volume: 856

Article number: 138915

Publisher: Elsevier

Publication country: Netherlands

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2024.138915

Research data link: https://www.hepdata.net/record/ins2739149

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/96825

Web address of parallel published publication (pre-print):  https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2312.12830

Abstract

The first measurements of femtoscopic correlations with the particle pair combinations π±K0S in pp collisions at s√=13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are reported by the ALICE experiment. Using the femtoscopic approach, it is shown that it is possible to study the elusive K∗0(700) particle that has been considered a tetraquark candidate for over forty years. Boson source parameters and final-state interaction parameters are extracted by fitting a model assuming a Gaussian source to the experimentally measured two-particle correlation functions. The final-state interaction is modeled through a resonant scattering amplitude, defined in terms of a mass and a coupling parameter, decaying into a π±K0S pair. The extracted mass and Breit-Wigner width, derived from the coupling parameter, of the final-state interaction are found to be consistent with previous measurements of the K∗0(700). The small value and increasing behavior of the correlation strength with increasing source size support the hypothesis that the K∗0(700) is a four-quark state, i.e. a tetraquark state. This latter trend is also confirmed via a simple geometric model that assumes a tetraquark structure of the K∗0(700) resonance.

Keywords: particle physics

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Ministry reporting: Yes

VIRTA submission year: 2024

Preliminary JUFO rating: 3