Triangle singularity appearing as an $X(3872)$-like peak in $B\to (J/\psi\pi^+\pi^-) K\pi$

TL;DR

The paper demonstrates that a triangle singularity can produce an $X(3872)$-like peak in $B$ decay processes, explaining the observed mass and width without free parameters, and highlights the importance of this mechanism in data analysis.

Contribution

It reveals that a triangle singularity can mimic the $X(3872)$ peak in $B$ decays, providing a parameter-free explanation and a method to distinguish genuine states.

Findings

The peak position and width match experimental $X(3872)$ measurements.

The mechanism is virtually parameter-free and explains the observed peak.

A proposed method to differentiate the triangle singularity effect from true $X(3872)$ signals.

Abstract

We consider a triangle diagram for $B^0\to (J/\psi\pi^+\pi^-) K^+\pi^-$ where an $X(3872)$ peak has been observed experimentally. We demonstrate that a triangle singularity inherent in the triangle diagram creates a sharp peak in the $J/\psi\pi^+\pi^-$ invariant mass distribution when the final $(J/\psi\pi^+\pi^-)\pi$ invariant mass is at and around the $D^*\bar D^*$ threshold. The position and width of the peak is 3871.68 MeV (a few keV above the $D^{*0}\bar{D}^0$ threshold) and $\sim$0.4 MeV, respectively, in perfect agreement with the precisely measured $X(3872)$ mass and width: $3871.69\pm 0.17$ MeV and $< 1.2$ MeV. This remarkable agreement is virtually parameter-free. The result indicates that the considered mechanism has to be understood in advance when separating an $X(3872)$-pole contribution from $B^0\to (J/\psi\pi^+\pi^-) K^+\pi^-$ data; the separation yields an $X(3872)\pi$ lineshape that could be used to determine the $X(3872)$ mass. We suggest a method to set a constraint on the triangle mechanism by analyzing a charge analogous process $B^0\to (J/\psi\pi^0\pi^-) K^+\pi^0$ where a similar triangle singularity generates an $X^-(3876)$-like peak.