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arXiv · 2601.11236

First Measurement of the Absolute Branching Fraction of $\eta_c \to \gamma \gamma$

BESIII Collaboration·M. Ablikim·M. N. Achasov·P. Adlarson·X. C. Ai·R. Aliberti·A. Amoroso·Q. An·Y. Bai·O. Bakina·Y. Ban·H. -R. Bao·X. L. Bao·V. Batozskaya·K. Begzsuren·N. Berger·M. Berlowski·M. B. Bertani·D. Bettoni·F. Bianchi·E. Bianco·A. Bortone·I. Boyko·R. A. Briere·A. Brueggemann·H. Cai·M. H. Cai·X. Cai·A. Calcaterra·G. F. Cao·N. Cao·S. A. Cetin·X. Y. Chai·J. F. Chang·T. T. Chang·G. R. Che·Y. Z. Che·C. H. Chen·Chao Chen·G. Chen·H. S. Chen·H. Y. Chen·M. L. Chen·S. J. Chen·S. M. Chen·T. Chen·W. Chen·X. R. Chen·X. T. Chen·X. Y. Chen·Y. B. Chen·Y. Q. Chen·Z. K. Chen·J. Cheng·L. N. Cheng·S. K. Choi·X. Chu·G. Cibinetto·F. Cossio·J. Cottee-Meldrum·H. L. Dai·J. P. Dai·X. C. Dai·A. Dbeyssi·R. E. de Boer·D. Dedovich·C. Q. Deng·Z. Y. Deng·A. Denig·I. Denisenko·M. Destefanis·F. De Mori·X. X. Ding·Y. Ding·Y. X. Ding·J. Dong·L. Y. Dong·M. Y. Dong·X. Dong·M. C. Du·S. X. Du·X. L. Du·Y. Y. Duan·Z. H. Duan·P. Egorov·G. F. Fan·J. J. Fan·Y. H. Fan·J. Fang·S. S. Fang·W. X. Fang·Y. Q. Fang·L. Fava·F. Feldbauer·G. Felici·C. Q. Feng·J. H. Feng·L. Feng·Q. X. Feng·Y. T. Feng
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Abstract

We apply a tag-and-probe method to precisely measure the absolute branching fraction of the decay $\eta_c \to \gamma \gamma$ with the BESIII experiment at BEPCII. Starting with a large initial sample of $2712.4\pm 14.3$ million $\psi(3686)$ events, a sample of 0.16 million $\eta_c$ events are tagged via the golden channel $\psi(3686)\to \pi^0 h_c$, $h_c\to \gamma \eta_c$, effectively avoiding interference effects. The absolute branching fraction of $\eta_c \to \gamma \gamma$ is measured for the first time to be $\mathcal{B}(\eta_c \to \gamma \gamma) = (2.45 \pm 0.48_{\rm stat.} \pm 0.09_{\rm syst.}) \times 10^{-4}$. Using the world average value of the total width of the $\eta_c$, the partial decay width of $\eta_c \to \gamma \gamma$ is calculated to be $\Gamma(\eta_c \to \gamma \gamma) = (7.48 \pm 1.48_{\rm stat.} \pm 0.30_{\rm syst.})~{\rm keV}$.

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BESIII Collaboration, M. Ablikim, M. N. Achasov, P. Adlarson, X. C. Ai, R. Aliberti, A. Amoroso, Q. An, Y. Bai, O. Bakina, Y. Ban, H. -R. Bao, X. L. Bao, V. Batozskaya, K. Begzsuren, N. Berger, M. Berlowski, M. B. Bertani, D. Bettoni, F. Bianchi, E. Bianco, A. Bortone, I. Boyko, R. A. Briere, A. Brueggemann, H. Cai, M. H. Cai, X. Cai, A. Calcaterra, G. F. Cao, N. Cao, S. A. Cetin, X. Y. Chai, J. F. Chang, T. T. Chang, G. R. Che, Y. Z. Che, C. H. Chen, Chao Chen, G. Chen, H. S. Chen, H. Y. Chen, M. L. Chen, S. J. Chen, S. M. Chen, T. Chen, W. Chen, X. R. Chen, X. T. Chen, X. Y. Chen, Y. B. Chen, Y. Q. Chen, Z. K. Chen, J. Cheng, L. N. Cheng, S. K. Choi, X. Chu, G. Cibinetto, F. Cossio, J. Cottee-Meldrum, H. L. Dai, J. P. Dai, X. C. Dai, A. Dbeyssi, R. E. de Boer, D. Dedovich, C. Q. Deng, Z. Y. Deng, A. Denig, I. Denisenko, M. Destefanis, F. De Mori, X. X. Ding, Y. Ding, Y. X. Ding, J. Dong, L. Y. Dong, M. Y. Dong, X. Dong, M. C. Du, S. X. Du, X. L. Du, Y. Y. Duan, Z. H. Duan, P. Egorov, G. F. Fan, J. J. Fan, Y. H. Fan, J. Fang, S. S. Fang, W. X. Fang, Y. Q. Fang, L. Fava, F. Feldbauer, G. Felici, C. Q. Feng, J. H. Feng, L. Feng, Q. X. Feng, Y. T. Feng. 2026-01-16. First Measurement of the Absolute Branching Fraction of $\eta_c \to \gamma \gamma$. https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.11236

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