$\Lambda_c N$ correlation functions with leading-order covariant chiral interactions

TL;DR

This study investigates $\Lambda_c p$ correlation functions using covariant chiral effective field theory, revealing weak attraction in one channel and sensitivity to coupled-channel effects, with implications for experimental discrimination of interaction models.

Contribution

The paper provides the first analysis of $\Lambda_c p$ correlations with covariant chiral interactions, highlighting the impact of $S$--$D$ mixing and source size on femtoscopic measurements.

Findings

Weak attraction in the ${}^1S_0$ channel.

Sensitivity of the ${}^3S_1$ channel to $S$--$D$ mixing.

Discrepancies between covariant and non-relativistic models.

Abstract

The $\Lambda_c p$ momentum correlation functions are investigated using $\Lambda_c N$ interactions derived within the covariant chiral effective field theory. Our analysis reveals that the interaction is weakly attractive in the spin-singlet ${}^1S_0$ channel. In contrast, the ${}^3S_1$ channel exhibits a pronounced sensitivity to coupled-channel effects, i.e., the inclusion of $S$--$D$ mixing results in a repulsive $\Lambda_c p$ interaction; its absence leads to a weakly attractive one. Consequently, the spin-averaged correlation function -- dominated by the triplet state weight -- exhibits repulsive behavior when the $S$-- $D$ mixing is present. Furthermore, the source size dependence of the correlation functions is examined, demonstrating that the resulting variations remain experimentally resolvable within the precision of current femtoscopic measurements. A systematic comparison with non-relativistic chiral effective field theory and phenomenological models yields distinct discrepancies in the femtoscopic correlation functions. These findings underscore the capacity of femtoscopy to discriminate between different theoretical descriptions of the $\Lambda_c N$ interaction and provide useful references for upcoming experimental data.