Coupled-channel study of the three-body $DDK$ and $D^{*}D^{*}K$

TL;DR

This study explores the three-body $DDK$ and $D^{*}D^{*}K$ systems using coupled-channel methods, revealing a deeply bound state and potential shallow states, with implications for charmed meson-kaon interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive coupled-channel approach incorporating heavy-quark symmetry and lattice constraints to analyze three-body charmed meson-kaon systems.

Findings

Supports a deeply bound $DDK$ state with a compact structure.

Finds negligible coupled-channel effects from $D^{*}D^{*}K$.

No resonance poles are identified in the parameter space.

Abstract

We investigate the three-body $DDK$ system with quantum numbers $I(J^P) = \frac{1}{2}(0^-)$ within a coupled-channel framework that incorporates both $DDK$ and $D^{*}D^{*}K$ configurations. The $D^{(*)}D^{(*)}$ interactions are described using the one-boson-exchange model constrained by the heavy-quark symmetry and fitted to the pole positions of $X(3872)$, $T_{cc}^+$, and $Z_c(3900)$. The $D^{(*)}K$ interaction is from the chiral effective theory, motivated by the molecular interpretation of $D_{s0}^*(2317)$, and is further constrained by lattice-QCD results for the $DK$ scattering lengths. The resulting three-body problem is solved using the Gaussian expansion method, while the complex scaling method is employed to search for possible resonant states. We find that coupled-channel effects from $D^{*}D^{*}K$ are negligible, and the $DDK$ system supports a deeply bound state across a wide range of parameters. Depending on the long-range behavior of the $DK$ interaction, an additional shallow state may emerge near the particle-dimer ($D$-$DK$) threshold. The deeply bound state exhibits a compact three-body structure, whereas the shallow state displays characteristic features of a three-body halo configuration. No clear resonance poles are identified within the explored parameter region. Similar results are obtained for the $D^{*}D^{*}K$ system. These findings may provide new insight into few-body dynamics in systems involving charmed mesons and kaons.