arXiv subjects

Pablo G. Ortega

Publications and source records attributed to Pablo G. Ortega.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Isotope production in thunderstorms

Thunderstorms and lightnings are natural particle accelerator systems. Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, caused by relativistic runaway electron avalanches, produce bursts of $X$ and $γ$ rays, energetic enough to produce photo-nuclear reactions within the atmosphere. Such reactions cause the generation of new isotopes, which modify the air composition locally and produce new ways of detecting and characterizing this high-energy phenomena. In this work we explore, using the general purpose Monte Carlo transport code FLUKA, the production of secondaries after a Terrestrial gamma-ray flash and analyze the generation of new isotopes in detail. Their abundance, time and energy profiles are studied, which can be useful for establishing new measuring strategies.

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arXiv2020

Spectroscopy of $\mathbf{B_c}$ mesons and the possibility of finding exotic $\mathbf{B_c}$-like structures

The bottom-charmed ($B_c$) mesons are more stable than their charmonium ($c\bar c$) and bottomium ($b\bar b$) partners because they cannot annihilate into gluons. However, the low production cross-sections and signal-to-background ratios avoided until now their clear identification. The recent experimental results reported by CMS and LHCb at CERN open the possibility of having a $B_c$ spectrum as complete as the ones of charmonium and bottomonium. Motivated by this expectation, we compute bottom-charmed meson masses in the region energies in which decay meson-meson thresholds are opened, looking for the analogs to the $X(3872)$ in the $B_c$ spectroscopy. We use a constituent quark model in which quark-antiquark degrees of freedom are complemented by four-body Fock states configurations. The model has been applied to a wide range of hadronic observables, in particular to the $X(3872)$, and thus the model parameters are completely constrained. No extra states are found in the $J^P=0^+$ and $J^P=1^+$ sectors. However, in the $J^P=2^+$ sector we found an additional state very close to the $D^*B^*$ threshold which could be experimentally detected.

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arXiv2019

The charged $Z_c$ and $Z_b$ structures in a constituent quark model approach

The nature of the recently discovered $Z_c$ and $Z_b$ structures is intriguing. Their charge forces its minimal quark content to be $Q\bar Q q\bar q$ (where $Q=\{c,b\}$ and $q=\{u,d\}$). In this work we perform a molecular coupled-channels calculation of the $I^G(J^{PC})=1^+(1^{+-})$ charm and bottom sectors in the framework of a constituent quark model which satisfactorily describes a wide range of properties of (non-)conventional hadrons containing heavy quarks. All the relevant channels are included for each sector, i.e.: The $D^{(\ast)}\bar D^{\ast}+h.c.$, $πJ/ψ$ and $ρη_c$ channels for the $Z_c$ and $B^{(\ast)}B^{\ast}$ and $Υ(nS)π$ ($n=1,2,3$) channels for the $Z_b$ analysis. Possible structures of these resonances will be discussed.

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arXiv2019

Is the X(3872) a bound state ?

All existing experimental evidence of the bound state nature of the $X(3872)$ relies on considering its decay products with a finite experimental spectral mass resolution which is typically $Δm \ge 2 $MeV and much larger than its alleged binding energy, $B_X=0.00(18)$MeV. On the other hand, we have found recently that there is a neat cancellation in the $1^{++}$ channel for the invariant $D \bar D^*$ mass around the threshold between the continuum and bound state contribution. This is very much alike a similar cancellation in the proton-neutron continuum with the deuteron in the $1^{++}$ channel. Based on comparative fits of experimental cross section deuteron and $X(3872)$ prompt production in pp collisions data with a finite $p_T$ to a common Tsallis distribution we find a strong argument questioning the bound state nature of the state but also explaining the large observed production rate likely consistent with a half-bound state.

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arXiv2019

Triply-heavy baryons in a constituent quark model

A constituent quark model, which has recently been successfully applied to the study of heavy quarkonium properties such as its spectrum but also a diverse array of observables related with their electromagnetic, strong and weak decays and reactions, is used herein to compute ground- and excited-state masses of $QQQ$-baryons containing either $c$- or $b$-quarks. Considering the lack of experimental information about the spectra of triply-heavy baryons, we believe that our computation could help on finding new states, since it is expected that phenomenological quark models describe triply-heavy baryons to a similar degree of accuracy as heavy quarkonia. The quark model parameters previously used to describe $c\bar c$ and $b\bar b$ properties have not been modified for this analysis. The non-relativistic three-body bound-state problem is solved by means of the Gaußian expansion method which provides enough accuracy and simplifies the subsequent evaluation of the matrix elements. Several low-lying states with quantum numbers $J^P=\frac{1}{2}^{\pm}$, $\frac{3}{2}^{\pm}$, $\frac{5}{2}^{\pm}$ and $\frac{7}{2}^+$ are reported. We compare our results with those predicted by many other theoretical formalisms. There is a general trend of agreement about the mass of the ground state in each sector of triply-heavy baryons; however, the situation is more puzzling for the excited states and thus appropriate comments on the most relevant features of our comparison are given.

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arXiv2019

Calibrating the Naïve Cornell Model with NRQCD

Along the years, the Cornell Model has been extraordinarily successful in describing hadronic phenomenology, in particular in physical situations for which an effective theory of the strong interactions such as NRQCD cannot be applied. As a consequence of its achievements, a relevant question is whether its model parameters can somehow be related to fundamental constants of QCD. We shall give a first answer in this article by comparing the predictions of both approaches. Building on results from a previous study on heavy meson spectroscopy, we calibrate the Cornell model employing NRQCD predictions for the lowest-lying bottomonium states up to N$^3$LO, in which the bottom mass is varied within a wide range. We find that the Cornell model mass parameter can be identified, within perturbative uncertainties, with the MSR mass at the scale $R = 1\,$GeV. This identification holds for any value of $α_s$ or the bottom mass, and for all perturbative orders investigated. Furthermore, we show that: a) the "string tension" parameter is independent of the bottom mass, and b) the Coulomb strength $κ$ of the Cornell model can be related to the QCD strong coupling constant $α_s$ at a characteristic non-relativistic scale. We also show how to remove the $u=1/2$ renormalon of the static QCD potential and sum-up large logs related to the renormalon subtraction by switching to the low-scale, short-distance MSR mass, and using R-evolution. Our R-improved expression for the static potential remains independent of the heavy quark mass value and agrees with lattice QCD results for values of the radius as large as $0.8\,$fm, and with the Cornell model potential at long distances. Finally we show that for moderate values of $r$, the R-improved NRQCD and Cornell static potentials are in head-on agreement.

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arXiv2019

Unquenching the quark model in a non-perturbative scheme

In recent years, the discovery in quarkonium spectrum of several states not predicted by the naive quark model has awakened a lot of interest. A possible description of such states requires the enlargement of the quark model by introducing quark-antiquark pair creation or continuum coupling effects. The unquenching of the quark models is a way to take these new components into account. In the spirit of the Cornell Model, this is usually done by coupling perturbatively a quark-antiquark state with definite quantum numbers to the meson-meson channel with closest threshold. In this work we present a method to coupled quark-antiquark states with meson-meson channels, taking into account effectively the non-perturbative coupling to all quark-antiquark states with the same quantum numbers. The method will be applied to the study of the X(3872) resonance and a comparison with the perturbative calculation will be performed.

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arXiv2019

The $Z_c$ structures in a coupled-channels model

The $Z_{c}(3900)^\pm/Z_c(3885)^\pm$ and $Z_{c}(4020)^\pm$ are two charmonium-like structures discovered in the $πJ/ψ$ and $D^\ast\bar D^{(\ast)}+h.c.$ invariant mass spectra. Their nature is puzzling due to their charge, which forces its minimal quark content to be $c\bar c u\bar d$ ($c\bar c d\bar u$). Thus, it is necessary to explore four-quark systems in order to understand their inner structure. Additionally, their strong coupling to channels such as $πJ/ψ$ and the closeness of their mass to $D^\ast\bar D^{(\ast)}$-thresholds stimulates both a molecular interpretation or a coupled-channels threshold effect. In this work we perform a coupled-channels calculation of the $I^G(J^{PC})=1^+(1^{+-})$ sector including $D^{(\ast)}\bar D^{\ast}+h.c.$, $πJ/ψ$ and $ρη_c$ channels in the framework of a constituent quark model which satisfactorily describes a wide range of properties of (non-)conventional hadrons containing heavy quarks. The meson-meson interactions are dominated by the non-diagonal $πJ/ψ-D^\ast\bar D^{(\ast)}$ and $ρη_c-D^\ast\bar D^{(\ast)}$ couplings which indicates that the $Z_{c}(3900)^\pm/Z_c(3885)^\pm$ and $Z_{c}(4020)^\pm$ are unusual structures. The study of the analytic structure of the $S$-matrix allows us to conclude that the point-wise behavior of the line shapes in the $πJ/ψ$ and $D\bar D^*$ invariant mass distributions is due to the presence of two virtual states that produce the $Z_c$ peaks.

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arXiv2018

Cornell Model Calibration with NRQCD at N$^3$LO

The typical binding energy of heavy hadron spectroscopy makes the system accessible to perturbative calculations in terms of non-relativistic QCD. Within NRQCD the predictions of heavy quarkonium energy levels rely on the accurate description of the static QCD potential $V_{\rm QCD}(r)$. Historically, heavy quarkonium spectroscopy was studied using phenomenological approaches such as the Cornell model $V_{\rm Cornell}=-κ/r+σ\, r$, which assumes a short-distance dominant Coulomb potential plus a liner rising potential that emerges at long distances. Such model works reasonably well in describing the charmonium and bottomonium spectroscopy. However, even when there are physically-motivated arguments for the construction of the Cornell model, there is no conection a priori with QCD parameters. Based on a previous work on heavy meson spectroscopy, we calibrate the Cornell model with NRQCD predictions for the lowest lying bottomonium states at N$^3$LO, in which the bottom mass is varied within a wide range. We show that the Cornell model mass parameter can be identified with the low-scale short-distance MSR mass at the scale $R = 1$ GeV. This identification holds for any value of $α_s$ or the bottom mass. For moderate values of $r$, the NRQCD and Cornell static potentials are in head-on agreement when switching the pole mass to the MSR scheme, which allows to simultaneously cancel the renormalon and sum up large logarithms.

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arXiv2018

Counting states and the Hadron Resonance Gas: Does X(3872) count?

We analyze how the renowned X(3872), a weakly bound state right below the $D \bar D^*$ threshold, should effectively be included in a hadronic representation of the QCD partition function. This can be decided by analyzing the $D \bar D^*$ scattering phase-shifts in the $J^{PC}=1^{++}$ channel and their contribution to the level density in the continuum from which the abundance in a hot medium can be determined. We show that in a purely molecular picture the bound state contribution cancels the continuum providing a vanishing occupation number density at finite temperature and the $X(3872)$ does not count below the Quark-Gluon Plasma crossover happening at $T \sim 150$MeV. In contrast, within a coupled-channels approach, for a non vanishing $c \bar c$ content the cancellation does not occur due to the onset of the $X(3940)$ which effectively counts as an elementary particle for temperatures above $T \gtrsim 250$MeV. Thus, a direct inclusion of the $X(3872)$ in the Hadron Resonance Gas is not justified. We also estimate the role of this cancellation in X(3872) production in heavy-ion collision experiments in terms of the corresponding $p_T$ distribution due to a finite energy resolution.

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arXiv2018

Bottom and Charm Mass determinations from global fits to $Q\bar{Q}$ bound states at N$^3$LO

The bottomonium spectrum up to $n = 3$ is studied within Non-Relativistic Quantum Chromodynamics up to N$^3$LO. We consider finite charm quark mass effects both in the QCD potential and the $\overline{\mathrm{MS}}$-pole mass relation up to third order in the $Υ$-scheme counting. The $u = 1/2$ renormalon of the static potential is canceled by expressing the bottom quark pole mass in terms of the MSR mass. A careful investigation of scale variation reveals that, while $n = 1, 2$ states are well behaved within perturbation theory, $n = 3$ bound states are no longer reliable. We carry out our analysis in the $n_\ell = 3$ and $n_\ell = 4$ schemes and conclude that, as long as finite $m_c$ effects are smoothly incorporated in the MSR mass definition, the difference between the two schemes is rather small. Performing a fit to $b\bar{b}$ bound states we find $\overline{m}_b(\overline{m}_b) = 4.216\pm 0.039$ GeV. We extend our analysis to the lowest lying charmonium states finding $\overline{m}_c(\overline{m}_c)=1.273 \pm 0.054$ GeV. Finally, we perform simultaneous fits for $\overline{m}_b$ and $α_s$ finding $α_s^{(n_f=5)}(m_Z)=0.1178\pm 0.0051$. Additionally, using a modified version of the MSR mass with lighter massive quarks we are able to predict the uncalculated $\mathcal{O}(α_s^4)$ virtual massive quark corrections to the relation between the $\overline{\mathrm{MS}}$ and pole masses.

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arXiv2017

The nature of the $X(3915)/X(3930)$ resonances from a coupled-channels approach

The positive parity $χ_{cJ}(2P)$ charmonium states are expected to lie around the 3.9 GeV/$c^2$ energy region, according to the predictions of quark models. However, a plethora of states with difficult assignment and unconventional properties have been discovered over the years, i.e., the $X(3872)$, $X(3940)$, $Y(3940)$, $X(3915)$, $X(3860)$ and the $X(3930)$ resonances, which complicates the description of this intriguing region. In this work we analyze the $0^{++}$ and $2^{++}$ sectors, employing a coupled-channels formalism successfully applied to the $1^{++}$ sector, where the $X(3872)$ was described as a $D\bar D^\ast+h.c.$ molecule with a sizable $c\bar c$ $(2^3P_1)$ component. This coupled-channels formalism is based on a widely-used Constituent Quark Model, which describes the quark-quark interactions, and the $^3P_0$ quark pair creation mechanism, used to couple the two and four quark sectors. The recent controversy about the quantum numbers of the $X(3915)$ state, the properties of the $X(3930)$ one and the nature of the new $X(3860)$ resonance are analyzed in a unified theoretical framework, being all the parameters completely constrained from previous calculations in the low-lying heavy quarkonium phenomenology.

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arXiv2017

Does $X(3872)$ count?

The question on whether or not weakly bound states should be effectively incorporated in a hadronic representation of the QCD partition function is addressed by analyzing the example of the $X(3872)$, a resonance close to the $D\bar D^*$ threshold which has been suggested as an example of a loosely bound molecule. This can be decided by studying the $D \bar D^*$ scattering phase-shifts in the $J^{PC}=1^{++}$ channel and their contribution to the level density in the continuum, which also gives information on its abundance in a hot medium. In this work, it is shown that, in a purely molecular picture, the bound state contribution cancels the continuum, resulting in a null occupation number density at finite temperature, which implies the $X(3872)$ does not count below the Quark-Gluon Plasma crossover ($T \sim 150$MeV). However, if a non-zero $c \bar c$ component is present in the $X(3872)$ wave function such cancellation does not occur for temperatures above $T\gtrsim 250$MeV.

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arXiv2017

Bottom and Charm Quark Mass Determination from Quarkonium at N$^3$LO

The non-perturbative nature of QCD at hadronic scales implied the development of phenomenological approaches such as quark models or, more recently, computer-based calculations using Lattice QCD. However, the unique properties of heavy quarkonium systems allow an entire calculation in terms of non-relativistic perturbative QCD. In this work, the bottomonium spectrum, up to $n = 3$, and the ground state charmonium states, are analyzed in the framework of Non-Relativistic Quantum Chromodynamics at N$^3$LO. For bottomonium, finite charm quark mass effects in the QCD potential and the $\overline{MS}$-pole mass relation are incorporated to the highest known order, $\mathcal{O}(\varepsilon^3)$ in the $Υ$-scheme counting. The bottom quark pole mass is expressed in terms of the MSR mass, a low-scale short-distance mass which cancels the $u = 1/2$ renormalon of the static potential. We study the $n_\ell = 3$ and $n_\ell = 4$ schemes, finding a negligible difference between the two if finite $m_c$ effects are smoothly incorporated in the MSR mass definition. We find that bottomonium $n=3$ states are not well behaved within perturbative NRQCD. Hence, fitting to the $n=1,2$ $b\bar b$ states we obtain $\overline{m}_b(\overline{m}_b) = 4.216\pm 0.039$ GeV. Similarly, from the lowest lying charmonium states we find $\overline{m}_c(\overline{m}_c)=1.273 \pm 0.054$ GeV.

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arXiv2017

Threshold effects in hadron spectrum: a new spectroscopy?

The exploration of energies above the open-flavor threshold in the meson spectra has led to the appearance of unexpected states difficult to accommodate in the naive picture of a bound state of a quark and an antiquark. Many of such states are located close to meson-meson thresholds, which suggests that molecular structures may be a relevant component in the total wave function of such resonances. In this work, the state of meson-meson molecules calculations is reviewed, using a non-relativistic constituent quark model that has been applied to a wide range of hadronic observables, and therefore all model parameters are completely constrained. The model has been able to reproduce, among others, the properties of the X(3872), described as a mixture of $c\bar c$ and $D\bar D^\ast$ states, or the spectrum of the P-wave charm-strange mesons, which are well reproduced only if $DK$ and $D^\ast K$ structures are taken into account. We show that such constituent quark model, which is able to describe the ordinary heavy meson spectra, is also capable of providing a good description of many new states recently reported.

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arXiv2017

Charmonium resonances in the 3.9 GeV/$c^2$ energy region and the $X(3915)/X(3930)$ puzzle

An interesting controversy has emerged challenging the widely accepted nature of the $X(3915)$ and the $X(3930)$ resonances, which had initially been assigned to the $χ_{c0}(2P)$ and $χ_{c2}(2P)$ $c\bar c$ states, respectively. To unveil their inner structure, the properties of the $J^{PC}\!\!=\!0^{++}$ and $J^{PC}\!\!=\!2^{++}$ charmonium states in the energy region of these resonances are analyzed in the framework of a constituent quark model. Together with the bare $q\bar q$ states, threshold effects due to the opening of nearby meson-meson channels are included in a coupled-channels scheme calculation. We find that the structure of both states is dominantly molecular with a probability of bare $q\bar q$ states lower than $45\%$. Our results favor the hypothesis that $X(3915)$ and $X(3930)$ resonances arise as different decay mechanisms of the same $J^{PC}\!\!=\!2^{++}$ state. Moreover we found an explanation for the recently discovered $M=3860$ MeV$/c^2$ as a $J^{PC}\!\!=\!0^{++}$ $2P$ state and rediscovery the lost $Y(3940)$ as an additional state in the $J^{PC}\!\!=\!0^{++}$ family.

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arXiv2017

Lowest lying even-parity $\bar B_s$ mesons: heavy quark spin-flavor symmetry, chiral dynamics, and constituent quark model bare masses

The discovery of the $D^\ast_{s0}(2317)$ and $D_{s1}(2460)$ resonances in the charmed-strange meson spectra revealed that formerly successful constituent quark models lose predictability in the vicinity of two-meson thresholds. The emergence of non-negligible effects due to meson loops requires an explicit evaluation of the interplay between $Q\bar q$ and $(Q\bar q)(q\bar q)$ Fock components. In contrast to the $c\bar s$ sector, there is no experimental evidence of $J^P=0^+,1^+$ bottom-strange states yet. Motivated by recent lattice studies, in this work the heavy-quark partners of the $D_{s0}^\ast(2317)$ and $D_{s1}(2460)$ states are analyzed within a heavy meson chiral unitary scheme. As a novelty, the coupling between the constituent quark model P-wave $\bar B_s$ scalar and axial mesons and the $\bar B^{(\ast)}K$ channels is incorporated employing an effective interaction, consistent with heavy quark spin symmetry, constrained by the lattice energy levels.

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arXiv2016

Threshold effects in P-wave bottom-strange mesons

Using a nonrelativistic constituent quark model in which the degrees of freedom are quark-antiquark and meson-meson components, we have recently shown that the $D^{(\ast)}K$ thresholds play an important role in lowering the mass of the physical $D_{s0}^{\ast}(2317)$ and $D_{s1}(2460)$ states. This observation is also supported by other theoretical approaches such as lattice-regularised QCD or chiral unitary theory in coupled channels. Herein, we extend our computation to the lowest $P$-wave $B_{s}$ mesons, taking into account the corresponding $J^{P} = 0^{+}$, $1^{+}$ and $2^{+}$ bottom-strange states predicted by the naive quark model and the $BK$ and $B^{\ast}K$ thresholds. We assume that mixing with $B_{s}^{(\ast)}η$ and isospin-violating decays to $B_{s}^{(\ast)}π$ are negligible. This computation is important because there is no experimental data in the $b\bar{s}$ sector for the equivalent $j_{q}^{P}=1/2^{+}$ ($D_{s0}^{\ast}(2317)$, $D_{s1}(2460)$) heavy-quark multiplet and, as it has been seen in the $c\bar s$ sector, the naive theoretical result can be wrong by more than $100\,{\rm MeV}$. Our calculation allows to introduce the coupling with the $D$-wave $B^{\ast}K$ channel and to compute the probabilities associated with the different Fock components of the physical state.

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