Probing the X(3700) through two-photon $D\bar{D}$ production in ultraperipheral collisions and at the EIC

Abstract

We investigate whether photon-induced production in ultraperipheral heavy-ion collisions and at the EIC can provide a new environment to search for the scalar $D\bar{D}$ molecular candidate usually denoted as $X(3700)$. We calculate the tree-level amplitudes for $\gamma \gamma \to D^{+}{D}^{-}$ and $\gamma \gamma \to D^0\overline{D^0}$, dress the outgoing pair with a coupled-channel Bethe-Salpeter interaction in the $(D^{+}{D}^{-},D^0\overline{D^0})$ basis, and convolute the resulting subprocess cross sections with equivalent-photon spectra. In the adopted two-channel scenario the analytic continuation of the $T$-matrix gives a bound state at $M_X=3.7162$~GeV, which is below the $D^0\overline{D^0}$ threshold. As a consequence of this, the observed signal in the continuum is not simply an isolated narrow peak, and a characteristic near-threshold line-shape distortion is produced: around $3.70\le W\le 3.85$~GeV the integrated dressed-to-bare ratios are $(13.71,0.35)$ in Pb-Pb UPCs and $(13.74,0.35)$ in $e$-Au collisions for $(D^{+}{D}^{-},D^0\overline{D^0})$. Using the BABAR-fitted central normalization $K_{\mathrm{dressed}}=0.382$, the corresponding dressed cross sections are $(24.6,14.6)\mu \mathrm{b}$ in Pb-Pb UPCs and $(2.41,1.43)\mathrm{nb}$ at the EIC. The charged-to-neutral ratios are directly accessible observables, whereas the dressed-to-bare ratios provide theoretical diagnostics of the final-state interaction. The near-threshold features are controlled by the common $\gamma \gamma \to D\bar{D}$ dynamics and are rather independent of the external photon source.

Comments: 21 pages, 11 figures