Higher excited charmed and charmed-strange mesons in an unquenched quark model

TL;DR

This study investigates higher excited charmed and charmed-strange mesons using an unquenched quark model, revealing significant mass shifts and proposing assignments for recently observed states.

Contribution

It provides a systematic analysis of higher meson excitations, incorporating coupled-channel effects, and offers interpretations for newly observed mesons.

Findings

Masses of higher excitations are significantly shifted downward by coupled-channel effects.

The $D_{s1}(2933)^+$ can be identified as the $D_s(2P_1)$ state.

The $D_{sJ}(3040)^+$ is better described as the $D_s(3^1S_0)$ state.

Abstract

In this paper, as a continuation of our previous work, we systematically study the mass spectra and OZI-allowed strong decays of the higher $3S$-, $2P$-, $2D$-, and $1F$-wave charmed and charmed-strange mesons within a unified unquenched quark model. It is found that for most of the higher excitations, the masses are significantly shifted down by the coupled-channel effects. The newly observed $D_{s1}(2933)^+$ reported by the LHCb collaboration could be identified as the low-mass axial-vector state $D_s(2P_1)$ via the $2^1P_1-2^3P_1$ mixing. For the broad structure $D_{sJ}(3040)^+$ observed earlier by the \emph{BABAR} collaboration, the $D_s(3^1S_0)$ assignment seems to be favored over the high-mass mixed state $D_s(2P_1^\prime)$. Meanwhile, the $D(3000)^0$ signals observed at LHCb cannot be well understood with any $3S$, $2P$, $2D$, or $1F$ assignments in the $D$-meson family. Our predicted masses and decay properties of the missing higher $D$ and $D_s$ mesons may provide useful information for future experimental searches.