Franck-Condon principle for heavy-quark hadron decays

TL;DR

This paper applies the Franck-Condon principle to heavy-quark hadron decays, enabling direct insights into hadron wavefunctions and distinguishing exotic states through decay product momentum distributions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of molecular physics principles to heavy-quark hadron decays, providing model-independent methods to identify exotic hadrons.

Findings

Experimental distinction between quarkonium and exotica.

Signature of tetraquarks via off-plane correlator.

Direct probe of sea quark orbital wavefunction.

Abstract

The Franck-Condon principle governing molecular electronic transitions is utilized to study heavy-quark hadron decays. This provides a direct assessment of the wavefunction of the parent hadron if the momentum distribution of the open-flavor decay products is measured. Model-independent results include an experimental distinction between quarkonium and exotica (hybrids, tetraquarks...), an off-plane correlator signature for tetraquarks and a direct probe of the sea quark orbital wavefunction relevant in the discussion of 3S_1 or 3P_0 decay mechanisms.