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Three-body molecular states composed of D(*) and two nucleons

Si-Yi Chen1, Fei-Yu Chen1, Xu-Liang Chen1, Lu Meng2,*, Ning Li1,†, and Wei Chen1,3,‡

  • *Contact author: lmeng@seu.edu.cn
  • †Contact author: lining59@mail.sysu.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author: chenwei29@mail.sysu.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. D 113, 116026 – Published 15 June, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/kv8n-p7ms

Abstract

We study the three-body systems DNN and D*NN within a hadronic molecular framework by combining a realistic nucleon-nucleon interaction with a D(*)N potential constrained by heavy-quark symmetry. The three-body Schrödinger equation is solved with the Gaussian expansion method, and the analytic structure of the spectrum is investigated using the complex scaling method. We find that the DNN system supports a robust and compact bound state in the I(JP)=12(1−) channel over a broad range of cutoff values, even when the corresponding DN subsystem is weakly bound or unbound. For D*NN, the spin-1 nature of the heavy meson and the associated spin-dependent forces generate a clear spin hierarchy: deeply bound states appear in both 0− and 2− channels, while the 1− channel exhibits a characteristic two-branch pattern with a strongly bound compact branch and a more weakly bound, spatially extended branch. The root-mean-square radii indicate pronounced spatial compression compared with the deuteron scale, highlighting the cooperative roles of realistic NN correlations, the D(*)N interactions, and heavy-quark symmetry in forming compact heavy-flavor few-body bound states. No three-body resonances under complex scaling are found in the explored parameter space. Our results provide quantitative benchmarks for future experimental searches for such charmed-meson-nuclear bound states.

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 116026– Published 15 June, 2026
  • Received 26 February 2026
  • Accepted 20 May 2026
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