Searches for Pentaquark Baryons at BaBar

TL;DR

This study conducted comprehensive searches for various pentaquark states in electron-positron collisions using BaBar data but found no evidence, setting upper limits on their production rates.

Contribution

First inclusive search for multiple pentaquark states in e+e- collisions at BaBar, providing constraints on their production rates.

Findings

No evidence for pentaquark states was observed.

Upper limits were established for the production rates of certain pentaquarks.

Results constrain theoretical models of pentaquark production in e+e- collisions.

Abstract

This paper presents the results of inclusive searches for the strange pentaquark states $\Theta^+(1540)$, $\Xi_5^{--}(1860)$ and $\Xi_5(1860)^{0}$ as well as the anti-charm pentaquark state $\Theta_c(3099)^{0}$ in a dataset of 123.4 fb$^{-1}$ collected on and 40$ $MeV below the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance by the BABAR detector at the $e^+e^-$ PEPII storage rings. No evidence for the pentaquark states is found and upper limits on the rate of $\Theta^+(1540)$ and $\Xi_5^{--}(1860)$ production in $e^+e^-$ annihilation are obtained.