Production of open-charm pentaquark molecules in decay $B^0 \rightarrow \bar{D}^0 p \bar{p}$

Abstract

This study investigates the production of open-charm pentaquark molecular states, specifically $N\bar{D}^*$ and $\bar{N}\bar{D}^*$, within the $B^0 \rightarrow \bar{D}^0 p \bar{p}$ decay. We examine the invariant mass spectra of $p\bar{D}^0$ and $\bar{p}\bar{D}^0$, incorporating the rescattering process through a quasipotential Bethe-Salpeter equation approach. Our findings suggest the possible identification of the isoscalar $\bar{N}\bar{D}^*$ molecule with $3/2^+$ as the antiparticle partner of $\Lambda_c(2940)$ in the $\bar{p}\bar{D}^0$ mass spectrum. Although a molecular state near the $\bar{N}\bar{D}$ threshold with $1/2^-$ exists, its signal is weak, indicating that the $B^0 \rightarrow \bar{D}^0 p \bar{p}$ decay may not be ideal for its detection. A distinct signal of the isovector $N\bar{D}^*$ molecule with $1/2^-$ may appear in the $p\bar{D}^0$ invariant mass spectrum, while the signal for the $3/2^-$ state remains very weak. We emphasize the importance of the three-body decay of the bottom meson as a valuable method for studying open-charm molecules and advocate for increased attention and more precise experimental measurements of the $B^0 \rightarrow \bar{D}^0 p \bar{p}$ decay.