Cross sections for 2-to-1 meson-meson scattering

We study the processes K (K) over bar -> phi, pi D -> D*, pi(D) over bar -> (D) over bar*, and the production of psi(3770), psi(4040), psi(4160), and psi(4415) mesons in collisions of charmed mesons or charmed strange mesons. The process of 2-to-1 meson-meson scattering involves a quark and an anti-quark from the two initial mesons annihilating into a gluon and subsequently the gluon being absorbed by the spectator quark or antiquark. Transition amplitudes for the scattering process derive from the transition potential in conjunction with mesonic quark-antiquark wave functions and the relative-motion wave function of the two initial mesons. We derive these transition amplitudes in the partial wave expansion of the relative-motion wave function of the two initial mesons so that parity and total-angular-momentum conservation are maintained. We calculate flavor and spin matrix elements in accordance with the transition potential and unpolarized cross sections for the reactions using the transition amplitudes. Cross sections for the production of psi(4040), psi(4160), and psi(4415) relate to nodes in their radial wave functions. We suggest the production of psi(4040), psi(4160), and psi(4415) as probes of hadronic matter that results from the quark-gluon plasma created in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions.

Automated summary

We study various processes involving meson-meson scattering and meson production in different collision scenarios, deriving transition amplitudes from transition potential and wave functions to understand the underlying mechanisms of meson generation.