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First observation of the M1 transition ψ(3686)→γη(c)(2S).
M Ablikim1, M N Achasov, D J Ambrose
1Institute of High Energy Physics, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China.
Physical Review Letters
|September 26, 2012
Summary
Researchers measured the M1 transition from psi(3686) to eta_c(2S) for the first time. This provides new insights into charmonium physics and excited states.
Area of Science:
- Particle Physics
- Quantum Chromodynamics
- Hadron Spectroscopy
Background:
- The study of charmonium states is crucial for understanding the strong force and quantum chromodynamics.
- Previous research has focused on lower-lying charmonium states, with less data available on radially excited states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To perform the first measurement of the M1 transition between the radially excited charmonium spin-triplet and spin-singlet states.
- To precisely determine the properties of the eta_c(2S) state, including its mass, width, and branching fractions.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 106 million psi(3686) events collected by the BESIII detector.
- Studying the decay channels psi(3686) -> eta_c(2S) with eta_c(2S) decaying into K(S)K pi and K+K-pi0.
- Statistical and systematic uncertainty analysis for measured quantities.
Main Results:
- Observed a significant eta_c(2S) signal with >10 standard deviations.
- Measured the eta_c(2S) mass as 3637.6 +/- 2.9(stat) +/- 1.6(syst) MeV/c^2.
- Determined the product branching fraction B(psi(3686) -> eta_c(2S)) * B(eta_c(2S) -> KK pi) = (1.30 +/- 0.20(stat) +/- 0.30(syst)) x 10^-5.
Conclusions:
- The branching fraction for the M1 transition psi(3686) -> eta_c(2S) was determined to be (6.8 +/- 1.1(stat) +/- 4.5(syst)) x 10^-4.
- This measurement provides crucial data for refining theoretical models of charmonium spectroscopy.
- The results contribute to a deeper understanding of the properties of radially excited charmonium states.
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