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Fine structure and decays of hidden-strangeness tetraquarks in the dynamical diquark model

Shahriyar Jafarzade1,2,* and Richard F. Lebed2,†

  • *Contact author: shah.jzade@pitt.edu
  • †Contact author: Richard.Lebed@asu.edu
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Phys. Rev. D 114, 014059 – Published 27 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/2lvt-cprc

Abstract

We analyze the fine structure and “fall-apart” decay patterns of hidden-strangeness tetraquarks within the dynamical diquark model. Several well-established negative-parity resonances listed by the Particle Data Group (PDG) [ϕ(2170), η(2225), η(2370)] are examined as potential qq¯ss¯ tetraquark candidates using a Hamiltonian that incorporates (iso)spin-dependent, spin-orbit, and tensor interactions. We further show that the isovector resonances ρ(2150) and ρ3(2250) observed by BESIII in ψ(2S)→K+K−η are compatible with a tetraquark assignment. Predictions for 28 states, including those with exotic quantum numbers, are also presented. Comparison of the model spectrum with the PDG’s unverified “Further States” highlights additional promising candidates worth future experimental investigation. The predicted fall-apart decay channels are easily reconstructed by experiment and may stimulate ongoing searches for hidden-strangeness tetraquarks at GlueX and BESIII. While current data do not yet provide an unambiguous interpretation for any state in this range, the observation of the fall-apart modes, in addition to the distinct multiplet structure for tetraquark states from that of hybrids or glueballs, provide the most incisive tests for discriminating state content.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 014059– Published 27 July, 2026
  • Received 23 March 2026
  • Accepted 22 June 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

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