Hadronic effects on the X(3872) meson abundance in heavy ion collisions

TL;DR

This paper investigates how hadronic interactions affect the abundance of the X(3872) meson in heavy ion collisions, aiming to infer its quantum numbers and structure through its observed abundance.

Contribution

It evaluates absorption cross sections and models the time evolution of X(3872) meson abundance considering different quantum states, linking structure to observable effects.

Findings

Absorption cross sections depend on the meson's quantum numbers.

The meson abundance evolution varies with its structure and quantum state.

Studying abundance can reveal the meson's quantum numbers and internal structure.

Abstract

We study the hadronic effects on the X(3872) meson abundance in heavy ion collisions. We evaluate the absorption cross sections of the X(3872) meson by pions and rho mesons in the hadronic stage of heavy ion collisions, and further investigate the variation in the X(3872) meson abundance during the expansion of the hadronic matter for its two possible quantum number states; $J^P=1^+$ and $2^-$. We show that the absorption cross sections and the time evolution of the X(3872) meson abundance are strongly dependent on the structure and quantum number of the X(3872) meson. We thus suggest that studying the abundance of the X(3872) meson in relativistic heavy ion collisions provides a chance to infer its quantum number as well as its structure.