Search for Strange-Pentaquark Production in e+e- Annihilation at sqrt(s)=10.58 GeV

TL;DR

This study searches for specific strange pentaquark states in electron-positron collisions at 10.58 GeV but finds no evidence, setting upper limits significantly below known baryon production rates.

Contribution

First search for these pentaquark states in e+e- collisions at this energy, providing the most stringent upper limits to date.

Findings

No evidence for the pentaquark states was observed.

Upper limits on production rates are significantly lower than those of similar baryons.

Results constrain theoretical models predicting pentaquark production.

Abstract

We search for strange pentaquark states that have been previously reported by other experiments -- the $\Theta(1540)^+$, $\Xi_5(1860)^{--}$, and $\Xi_5(1860)^0$ -- in 123 fb$^{-1}$ of data recorded with the BaBar detector at the PEP-II $e^+e^-$ storage ring. We find no evidence for these states and set 95% confidence level upper limits on the number of $\Theta(1540)^+$ and $\Xi_5(1860)^{--}$ pentaquarks produced per $e^+e^-$ annihilation event that are about eight and four times lower than the rates measured for ordinary baryons of similar mass.