1. Introduction
During the past few years, some hadrons with five-quark content (pentaquarks) have been reported experimentally. In particular, the hidden-charm pentaquark candidate
was the first to be announced by the LHCb collaboration in 2015 [
1]. After that, three more pentaquark states, with equal minimum quark content of
,
,
and
, were reported by the same collaboration in 2019 [
2]. Additionally, progress in hidden-charm pentaquarks with strangeness has also been made by the LHCb collaboration since 2020. By using
collision data, a
structure, which is labeled as
, was reported in
decays [
3]. The mass and width of this hidden-charm pentaquark candidate with strange quark content are
MeV and
MeV, respectively. In 2022, another strange pentaquark candidate,
, was observed with high significance in
decays [
4]. Its experimental mass and width are
MeV and
MeV. The spin-parity values of these two exotic states,
and
, are preferably
and
, respectively.
These facts have triggered an enormous amount of theoretical investigations; concerning the hidden-charm pentaquark candidates with strangeness, one may mention, for instance, the works performed within effective field theories [
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10], using QCD sum rules [
11,
12,
13,
14,
15] or based on phenomenological quark models [
16,
17,
18,
19,
20,
21,
22,
23], generally establishing that the
state can be identified as a
molecular structure whereas the
state seems better for being a
hadron molecule. However, mixed configurations [
24,
25], compact structure analysis [
26,
27] and triangle singularities [
28] could also explain the nature of the mentioned
states. In addition, several additional exotic states in the hidden-charm pentaquark sector with strange quark content are theoretically proposed in Refs. [
29,
30,
31,
32]. In addition, the electromagnetic properties of the mentioned pentaquarks are calculated in Refs. [
33,
34,
35,
36]. The production and decay properties are also studied in Refs. [
37,
38,
39,
40,
41,
42,
43,
44].
Within the chiral quark model approach [
45,
46], supplemented by employing a highly accurate computational method on few-body problems, i.e., the combination of the Gaussian expansion method (GEM) [
47] and the complex scaling method (CSM) [
48], the S-wave hidden-charm pentaquarks with strangeness, having spin-parity
,
and
, in the isoscalar and -vector sectors, are systematically investigated. This theoretical framework has already been successfully applied in various multiquark systems. A thorough review of our results can be found in Ref. [
49] (see also related references cited therein); moreover, since then, we have continued studying charmonium- and bottomonium-like tetraquarks [
50]; singly, doubly and fully heavy tetraquarks [
51]; and hidden-charm and -bottom doubly and fully heavy pentaquarks [
52]. Therefore, it is also a natural extension of our theoretical investigation to incorporate the analysis of pentaquark systems with strange quark content, beginning with the hidden-charm pentaquarks with strangeness motivated by the recently reported
signals.
We arrange the present work in the following parts. In
Section 2, the chiral quark model, pentaquark wave functions, GEM and CSM are briefly presented and discussed.
Section 3 is devoted to the analysis and discussion of the obtained results. Finally, a summary is presented in
Section 4.
3. Results
The lowest-lying and possible resonant states of
S-wave
pentaquarks are investigated by taking into account three types of baryon-meson configurations, which include
,
and
, and they are shown in
Figure 2. Therein, the angular momenta
,
,
and
, which appear in Equation (
46), are all equal to zero. Therefore, the total angular momentum,
J, coincides with the total spin,
S, and can take the values
,
and
, respectively. The parity of the pentaquark system is then negative.
Table 2 and
Table 3 list all allowed baryon-meson configurations of each
channel. In particular, channels are indexed in the second column, and the third and fifth columns present the necessary basis combination in spin
, flavor
and color
degrees-of-freedom along with possible configurations
. Physical channels with color-singlet (labeled with the super-index 1) and color-octet (labeled with the super-index 8) configurations are listed in the fourth and sixth columns, respectively.
First of all, the lowest-lying
pentaquark in each channel is computed with a rotated angle
. The CSM is then employed in a fully coupled-channel calculation.
Table 4,
Table 5,
Table 6,
Table 7,
Table 8,
Table 9,
Table 10,
Table 11,
Table 12,
Table 13 and
Table 14 summarize our results for the
system with spin-parity
,
and
and isospin
and 1.
Figure 3,
Figure 4,
Figure 5,
Figure 6,
Figure 7 and
Figure 8 show the distribution of complex eigenenergies, and the obtained bound and resonance states are indicated inside colored orange circles. Finally, a summary of our most salient results is presented in
Table 15.
In
Table 4,
Table 6,
Table 8,
Table 10,
Table 11 and
Table 13, the baryon-meson configuration is listed in the first column, and the superscripts 1 and 8 stand for color-singlet and -octet states, respectively. The experimental threshold value of the baryon-meson channel is then listed in the parentheses. The lowest theoretical mass obtained in each channel is shown in the second column, and the binding energy is presented in the following one. A mixture of color-singlet and -octet configurations for each baryon-meson case is considered, and the coupled mass and binding energy are shown in the last column. The lowest-lying mass in coupled-channel calculation, which includes all-color-singlet, all-color-octet and a complete coupled-channel one, is indicated at the bottom of the tables. For the identified bound and resonance states,
Table 5,
Table 7,
Table 9,
Table 12 and
Table 14 list the sizes and probabilities of the different pentaquark configurations in their wave functions.
We proceed now to describing our theoretical findings in detail. However, two comments are in order here. Firstly, there are two sources of theoretical uncertainties in our results: one is intrinsic to the numerical algorithm and the other is related to the way the model parameters are fixed. The numerical error is negligible and, as mentioned in the text, the model parameters are adjusted to reproduce a certain number of hadron observables within a determinate range of agreement with the experiment. It is therefore difficult to assign an error to these parameters and consequently to the quantities calculated using them. Secondly, it has been demonstrated that, given a multiquark system, the lowest-energy state in the spectrum corresponds to one of the possible meson(s) plus baryon(s) configurations. Therefore, for the case at hand, the lowest-mass state should correspond to a particular meson–baryon configuration, , and not to other kinds of arrangements such as , , , etc. Since we are interested in finding the lowest-energy states supported by the pentaquark system, under a particular dynamical Hamiltonian, we have excluded in our study other configurations beyond meson–baryon ones with the purpose of obtaining a manageable Hamiltonian matrix to work with. In addition, there may be coupling effects among all configurations, included the ignored ones, but these are usually weak when treating different arrangements of quarks.
The channel: All of the possible baryon-meson channels,
,
,
,
and
, listed in
Table 4, are firstly investigated in a real-range calculation. The lowest channel,
, has a theoretical mass of 3918 MeV, which is just the theoretical threshold value, and it is a scattering state. The unbound nature also holds for other
and
configurations, viz., the color-singlet channels of
and
configurations are all of scattering type. In addition, the coupling effect is quite weak in these cases when considering their respective hidden-color channels; hence, the scattering nature remains. On the other hand, bound states are found in the
configuration; particularly, five baryon-meson channels contribute, i.e.,
,
,
,
and
. There are binding energies which range from
to
MeV for the color-singlet channels. Concerning the
channel, which has
MeV binding energy and then
GeV attending to its experimental threshold, it is quite compatible with the reported
state [
4]. However, the stability of this state needs to be confirmed in a further coupled-channel analysis. Meanwhile, hidden-color channels of these kinds of configurations predict unbounded states, except for a
MeV binding energy of the color-octet
. This color resonance becomes more tightly bound with
MeV and
MeV if the singlet and octet channels are all coupled, while the coupling is weak in other
channels.
In a further step, three types of coupled-channel computations, all color-singlets, all color-octets and fully coupled, are performed with
(real-range calculation). The lowest-lying masses are listed at the bottom of
Table 4. Particularly, the scattering nature of the lowest channel,
, remains in this kind of computation; moreover, a color-octet resonant signal at 4653 MeV is also obtained.
In order to better understand the spectrum of
pentaquarks with quantum numbers
, the CSM is adopted by considering a rotated angle ranging from
to
. The distribution of calculated complex energies is plotted in
Figure 3. Therein, with an energy interval from
to
GeV, the nine scattering states of
,
,
,
and
are well presented. The vast majority of energy dots are aligned along the corresponding threshold lines; however, two stable poles are obtained and they are circled.
Table 5 collects information about the two resonances obtained in a complete coupled-channel computation by the CSM. Firstly, their masses and widths
are
MeV and
MeV, respectively. Apparently, the lower resonance can be identified as the
state. The dominant two-body strong decay widths are the color-singlet channels
and
. Its size is less than
fm. Moreover, the higher resonance at
GeV has a width of
MeV, which is mainly given by the final states of
,
and
in the singlet color channel. This exotic state, whose size is less than
fm, is expected to be confirmed in future experiments.
The channel: Table 6 lists our results of hidden-charm pentaquarks with strangeness in the mentioned channel obtained by the real-range calculation. In particular,
,
,
and
are all the configurations considered. First, the lowest mass 4025 MeV is the theoretical threshold value of
; hence, it is just a scattering state. In addition, the second energy level, which lies at 4166 MeV, is the theoretical threshold of
, and the unbound nature is also concluded. The scattering feature of the
and
configurations is characteristic of the coupled-channel studies that consider either singlet- or color-octet channels. Particularly, the excited energy values of
and
are 768 and 580 MeV, respectively. However, as in the channel
, bound states are found in the
configuration. From
Table 6, one can find
MeV binding energies for color-singlet channels
,
,
and
. Their hidden-color or color-octet channels are generally 300 MeV higher than theoretical thresholds, except for the
state with 95 MeV exciting energy. Additionally, after a mixture of the singlet- and hidden-color channels, the lowest mass values of
and
shift to 4553 and 4656 MeV, respectively. However,
and
remain at 4268 and 4411 MeV, respectively. Herein, the
bound state, which has a binding energy of
MeV and a modified mass of 4470 MeV, is compatible with
in the
state [
3].
At the bottom of
Table 6, we show the lowest coupled mass in three types of real-range calculations. When all color-singlet channels are considered, the lowest mass, 4025 MeV, is still the theoretical threshold value of the
channel. This weak coupling effect remains in the complete coupled-channel calculation. In addition, a color resonance of 4725 MeV is obtained in a computation with all hidden-color channels included.
The spectrum of
pentaquarks with isospin and spin-parity
is now investigated in a fully coupled calculation with the help of the CSM; see
Figure 4. Within an energy range of
GeV, the scattering states of
,
,
,
,
and
are clearly shown. However, two stable poles are obtained and circled. Their complex energies read as
MeV and
MeV, respectively. Moreover, quark–(anti-)quark distances and the dominant components of resonances are listed in
Table 7. The first resonance at
GeV is quite compatible with the
state [
3]. Its size is less than
fm, and the golden channel is
in our calculation. In addition, since the calculated distance between
q and
is
fm, a loosely resonant nature of the second state at
GeV can be drawn. There is a strong coupling among the color-singlet channels
,
,
and
. Accordingly, the narrow resonance,
MeV, is also expected to be found in future high-energy experimental facilities.
The channel: Only one baryon-meson channel, , contributes to the highest spin channel within the isoscalar sector. Firstly, in the single-channel calculation that includes the color-singlet and -octet configurations, the lowest-lying mass values are 4673 and 5003 MeV, respectively, which correspond to binding energy values of and 327 MeV, when compared to the theoretical threshold. Moreover, the channel-coupling effect is extremely weak in this case, and thus the coupled mass remains at 4673 MeV.
A complex-range analysis of fully coupled-channel calculation is then performed, and results are presented in
Figure 5. In the
–
GeV energy region, three scattering states, which include
and its radial excited cases
and
, are well presented. Moreover, one bound state and one narrow resonance are also obtained. Firstly, the mentioned
again appears loosely bound. Secondly, a narrow resonance with
MeV is obtained at 5533 MeV. It is compact, with size around
fm, and there is a strong coupling between the color-singlet
and -octet
channels of
.
The channel: Table 10 lists the real-range calculations of the
pentaquarks with isovector character and spin-parity
. We consider 11 baryon-meson configurations, and they are
,
,
,
and
. Firstly, the lowest-lying state in the color-singlet channels is
with calculated mass 4084 MeV. Since its mass is located just at the theoretical threshold value, a scattering nature is deduced, and this unbound feature also holds for other singlet color channels. However, one bound state with mass and binding energy 4645 and
MeV, respectively, is found in the hidden-color channel of the
state. When a color–structure mixture is considered, this bound state is pushed down towards 4621 MeV, with a deeper binding energy of
MeV. Other hidden-color channels are generally
MeV higher than their corresponding thresholds, and the coupled-channels mechanism of color structures does not help in forming a bound state.
Furthermore, as shown at the bottom of
Table 10, in the three types of coupled-channel calculations, the scattering nature of the
state remains unchanged, while a color resonance at 4563 MeV is obtained by only considering hidden-color channels’ coupling.
The stability of the bound and color resonance states at 4621 and 4563 MeV, respectively, should be further studied in a complete coupled-channel calculation by using the CSM.
Figure 6 shows the distribution of complex energies. Particularly, the scattering states of
,
,
,
and
are presented in the top panel, and no stable pole is found within
–
GeV. An enlarged part from
–
GeV is plotted in the middle panel of
Figure 6. Therein, the resonance pole is still unavailable, and the scattering states of
and
are presented. Hence, the previous color resonance at 4563 MeV did not survive in a fully coupled-channel case. Finally, in the bottom panel, whose energy range goes from
to
GeV, four scattering states corresponding to
,
,
and
are shown, and there is no evidence of a resonance state. Accordingly, the
bound state, which was obtained in a partial channel coupling computation, is quite unstable.
The channel: A total of 10 baryon-meson configurations listed in
Table 11 are investigated herein. Among the
,
,
,
and
channels both in color-singlet and hidden-color arrangements, the lowest-lying one is
, and its mass is 4192 MeV, which is just the theoretical value of the non-interacting baryon-meson threshold. Moreover, bound states are still not obtained in other channel calculations, and hidden-color channels are generally excited by an energy of 200–650 MeV, except the color-octet channel of
, which is 19 MeV higher than its theoretical threshold. Furthermore, a weakly bound state, whose mass and binding energy are 4669 and
MeV, respectively, is obtained in the
configuration when the singlet- and hidden-color channels are mixed.
When we perform a coupled-channel calculation within the real-range formalism, taking into account all singlet channels, all octet channels and a fully coupled case, bound states are not obtained, the lowest-lying mass, 4192 MeV, is the theoretical threshold value, and a color-octet resonance located at 4524 MeV is found.
Figure 7 shows the distribution of complex energies in a fully coupled-channel study using the CSM. Within the mass interval of
GeV, the scattering states of
,
,
,
and
are clearly found. Apart from them, two stable poles are circled in the complex energy plane. Their nature and structural information can be found in
Table 12. In particular, the lower resonance is at 4625 MeV, and the higher one is at 4803 MeV. Their two-body strong decay widths are 4 MeV. In addition, they have similar sizes, which are about
fm. Color-singlet channels account for the dominant contributions to their wave functions:
,
and
for the lower resonance, whereas
,
and
are for the other one.
channel: Three baryon-meson configurations should be considered in the highest spin case of the isovector sector, and they are indicated in
Table 13. Particularly, the lowest-lying state is
with a theoretical mass of 4477 MeV; the two others lie at 4679 and 4676 MeV for
and
, respectively. Hidden-color channels are at least 90 MeV higher in energy than theoretical threshold lines. Accordingly, no bound states are found, and this result is also obtained within coupled-channel calculations; see the bottom part of
Table 13. However, a color resonance located at
GeV is obtained within a coupled-channel analysis in which only hidden-color configurations are included.
Additionally, when a complex-range investigation is performed, considering all of the
channels, two narrow resonances are found.
Figure 8 shows the scattering states corresponding to
,
and
within an energy region of
–
GeV. Moreover, two stable poles are circled, and their complex energies read
and 5327 +
i5.2 MeV, respectively. By looking at
Table 14, which provides structural information for the two singularities, a strong coupling effect between the color-singlet
and -octet
channels is found in both cases. Moreover, the dominant components are also the same:
and
. Additionally, one can also find similarities between the two resonances when looking at their inner quark distances. Generally, their sizes are around
fm.