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Direct Imaging of Laser-driven Ultrafast Molecular Rotation
Published on: February 4, 2017
Evidence for the direct two-photon transition from ψ(3686) to J/ψ
M Ablikim1, M N Achasov, D J Ambrose
1Institute of High Energy Physics, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China.
Physical Review Letters
|December 11, 2012
Summary
Researchers measured the two-photon transition from psi(3686) to J/psi, yielding a branching fraction of (3.1±0.6±1.0)×10⁻⁴. This marks the first such measurement between charmonium states.
Area of Science:
- Particle Physics
- Quantum Chromodynamics
- Hadron Spectroscopy
Background:
- Understanding charmonium transitions is crucial for testing Quantum Chromodynamics.
- Previous studies have focused on single-photon or hadronic transitions between charmonium states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure the branching fraction of the two-photon transition psi(3686) -> gamma gamma J/psi.
- To study the decay plane orientation and J/psi polarization in this transition.
- To report product branching fractions for sequential E1 transitions involving chi(cJ) states.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 1.06x10^8 psi(3686) decays collected by the BESIII detector.
- Utilizing J/psi -> e+e- and J/psi -> mu+mu- decay modes for reconstruction.
- Statistical and systematic uncertainty evaluation for the branching fraction measurement.
Main Results:
- The branching fraction for psi(3686) -> gamma gamma J/psi is measured as (3.1 +/- 0.6(stat) +0.8/-1.0(syst)) x 10^-4.
- An upper limit for this branching fraction is set at 4.5 x 10^-4 at the 90% confidence level.
- Measurements of sequential E1 transitions psi(3686) -> gamma chi(cJ) and chi(cJ) -> gamma J/psi are reported.
Conclusions:
- This study presents the first measurement of a two-photon transition between charmonium states.
- The results provide new insights into the electromagnetic interactions within the charmonium system.
- Further studies on decay dynamics and polarization are essential for a comprehensive understanding.
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