Femtoscopic study of coupled-channel $N\Xi$ and $\Lambda\Lambda$ interactions

TL;DR

This study uses femtoscopic correlation functions and lattice QCD potentials to analyze the interactions between baryon pairs in high-energy collisions, revealing moderate attraction without bound states.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive femtoscopic analysis incorporating coupled-channel effects, Coulomb interaction, and realistic potentials based on lattice QCD, for the first time in this context.

Findings

Reproduces experimental correlation data quantitatively.

Finds N Xi interaction is moderately attractive.

Finds Lambda Lambda interaction is weakly attractive.

Abstract

The momentum correlation functions of S = -2 baryon pairs (p Xi^- and Lambda Lambda) produced in high-energy pp and pA collisions are investigated on the basis of the coupled-channel formalism. The strong interaction is described by the coupled-channel HAL QCD potential obtained by the lattice QCD simulations near physical quark masses, while the hadronic source function is taken to be a static Gaussian form. The coupled-channel effect, the threshold difference, the realistic strong interaction, and the Coulomb interaction are fully taken into account for the first time in the femtoscopic analysis of baryon-baryon correlations. The characteristic features of the experimental data for the p Xi^- and Lambda Lambda pairs at LHC are reproduced quantitatively with a suitable choice of non-femtoscopic parameters and the source size. The agreement between theory and experiment indicates that the N Xi (Lambda Lambda) interaction is moderately (weakly) attractive without having a quasi-bound (bound) state.