Search for the R(3520) crypto-exotic state at BABAR

Abstract

Motivated by the recent discoveries of exotic and possible crypto-exotic states, presented in this thesis is an inclusive search for the production of a crypto-exotic baryon state called R(3520) with hidden charm in e+e− interactions at a centre of mass energy of 10.58 GeV in the data collected at the energy Υ(4S) resonance with the BABAR detector using a data set of 228 fb−1. Hints about the existence of the R(3520) state were reported in an analysis of data from a 2m hydrogen bubble chamber experiment at CERN. Two decay modes of the R(3520) resonance were investigated in this thesis R(3520) → pK+π−π−K0 S and R(3520) → pK+π−K∗−. The invariant mass spectra of the two final states were analysed and no evidence for the state was observed. Therefore, Upper limits were set on the differential cross section for the production of the R(3520) as a function of the momentum in the centre of mass frame. Using these differential cross sections the total cross sections were calculated with two different hypotheses for the width of the resonance, 1MeV/c2 and 7MeV/c2, with the additional assumption that the momentum spectrum for the production of state is flat. The upper limits for the total cross section production of the R(3520) for the decay mode p π− π− K+ K0 S were calculated to be 32 fb/GeV/c (48 fb GeV/c) with the 1MeV/c2 (7 MeV/c2) width. For the decay mode p π− K+ K∗− the upper limits on the total cross section were 62 fb/ GeV/c (93 fb/ GeV/c) for the 1MeV/c2 (7 MeV/c2) width hypotheses. The studies were repeated with the additional requirement that there was an additional antiproton in the event. The invariant mass spectra were analysed and no evidence for the state was found. Therefore, upper limits were calculated on the differential cross sections and the total cross sections for the production of this state. The upper limits for the total cross section production of the R(3520) for the decay mode p π− π− K+ K0 S were calculated to be 25 fb/GeV (36 fb/ GeV) with the 1 MeV/c2 (7 MeV/c2) width. For the decay mode p π− K+ K∗− the upper limits on the total cross section were 62 fb/GeV/c (83 fb/ GeV/c) for the 1MeV/c2 (7 MeV/c2) width hypotheses. This shows that the nonobservance of the state was unaffected by the condition that the baryon number was conserved in the event. The thesis also investigates the feasibility of using a new evolutionary algorithm, Gene Expression Programming, for an event selection problem relevant for the physics analysis presented here. The new methods allowed automatic identification of selection criteria similar to those based on cuts applied on event variables. This showed the feasibility of the new method.