Search for the Charmed Pentaquark Candidate Theta_c(3100) in e+e- Annihilations at sqrt(s)=10.58 GeV

TL;DR

This study searches for the charmed pentaquark Theta_c(3100) in electron-positron collisions at 10.58 GeV but finds no evidence, setting upper limits on its production rate that are much lower than similar known baryons.

Contribution

First search for Theta_c(3100) in e+e- collisions at 10.58 GeV, providing upper limits on its production rate and constraining its possible existence.

Findings

No evidence for Theta_c(3100) in the data.

Set upper limits on production cross section and branching fraction.

Limits are three orders of magnitude lower than known charmed baryons.

Abstract

We search for the charmed pentaquark candidate reported by the H1 collaboration, the Theta_c(3100)^0, in e^+e^- interactions at a center-of-mass (c.m.) energy of 10.58 GeV, using 124~fb-1 of data recorded with the BaBar detector at the PEP-II e^+e^- facility at SLAC. We find no evidence for such a state in the same pD^{*-} decay mode reported by H1, and we set limits on its production cross section times branching fraction into pD^{*-} as a function of c.m. momentum. The corresponding limit on its total rate per e^+e^- -> qqbar event, times branching fraction, is about three orders of magnitude lower than rates measured for the charmed Lambda_c and Sigma_c baryons in such events.