Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Open Access

Does ψ(4660) exist?

Xian-Chen Wang1,2,3, Quanxing Ye1,2,3,*, and Qian Wang1,3,4,†

  • *Co-first author
  • †Contact author: qianwang@m.scnu.edu.cn

Phys. Rev. D 114, 054050 – Published 25 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/nsss-681z

Abstract

The nature of the vector charmoniumlike states ψ(4360) and ψ(4660) has remained controversial for nearly two decades, and the very existence of the ψ(4660) has recently been called into question: the high-precision BESIII measurement of the e+e−→Λc+Λ¯c− cross section reveals a nearly flat line shape around 4.66 GeV with a nonzero value right at threshold, in striking contrast to the near-threshold enhancement reported earlier by Belle. In this work, we address this puzzle within a comprehensive S-wave coupled-channel framework for e+e− annihilation in the energy region s∈[4.0,5.0]  GeV. The formalism incorporates the open-charm baryon-antibaryon channels Λc+Λ¯c−, Ξc+Ξ¯c−, and Ξc0Ξ¯c0 (organized via SU(3) flavor symmetry), the inelastic ψ(2S)π+π− channel mediated by the σ(500) and f0(980) intermediate resonances, and the bare vector charmonium states ψ(4360) and ψ(4660), assigned as the 4S and 5S excitations. Short-range contact potentials constrained by heavy-quark spin symmetry are employed, the scattering amplitudes are obtained by solving the Lippmann-Schwinger equation. A combined fit to the Belle and BESIII data on e+e−→Λc+Λ¯c− and e+e−→ψ(2S)π+π− yields two poles, at (4401.93±16.96i)  MeV and (4631.39±62.96i)  MeV, corresponding to the ψ(4360) and ψ(4660), respectively. By tracing the pole trajectories as the coupling to the bare charmonium states is gradually switched off, we demonstrate that both poles originate from the bare 4S and 5S vector charmonium states strongly renormalized by coupled-channel dynamics. In particular, the ψ(4660) emerges as a broad resonance located about 58 MeV above the Λc+Λ¯c− threshold—its flat experimental line shape is a direct consequence of this threshold interplay, and provides evidence for its existence. Our conclusion is robust against the variation of the regularization cutoff.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Article Text

References (71)

  1. S. K. Choi et al. (Belle Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 262001 (2003).
  2. F. K. Guo, C. Hanhart, U. G. Meißner, Q. Wang, Q. Zhao, and B. S. Zou, Rev. Mod. Phys. 90, 015004 (2018); 94, 029901(E) (2022).
  3. T. Barnes, S. Godfrey, and E. S. Swanson, Phys. Rev. D 72, 054026 (2005).
  4. M. A. Sultan, N. Akbar, B. Masud, and F. Akram, Phys. Rev. D 90, 054001 (2014).
  5. A. P. Szczepaniak, Phys. Lett. B 747, 410 (2015).
  6. E. S. Swanson, Phys. Lett. B 588, 189 (2004).
  7. Z. Xiao and Z. Y. Zhou, J. Math. Phys. (N.Y.) 58, 062110 (2017).
  8. L. Maiani, F. Piccinini, A. D. Polosa, and V. Riquer, Phys. Rev. D 71, 014028 (2005).
  9. N. N. Achasov and E. V. Rogozina, Mod. Phys. Lett. A 30, 1550181 (2015).
  10. A. Hosaka, T. Iijima, K. Miyabayashi, Y. Sakai, and S. Yasui, Prog. Theor. Exp. Phys. 2016, 062C01 (2016).
  11. N. Brambilla, S. Eidelman, C. Hanhart, A. Nefediev, C. P. Shen, C. E. Thomas, A. Vairo, and C. Z. Yuan, Phys. Rep. 873, 1 (2020).
  12. J. M. Richard, Few Body Syst. 57, 1185 (2016).
  13. F. K. Guo, X. H. Liu, and S. Sakai, Prog. Part. Nucl. Phys. 112, 103757 (2020).
  14. C. Z. Yuan, Natl. Sci. Rev. 8, nwab182 (2021).
  15. H. X. Chen, W. Chen, X. Liu, Y. R. Liu, and S. L. Zhu, Rep. Prog. Phys. 86, 026201 (2023).
  16. L. Meng, B. Wang, G. J. Wang, and S. L. Zhu, Phys. Rep. 1019, 1 (2023).
  17. M. Z. Liu, Y. W. Pan, Z. W. Liu, T. W. Wu, J. X. Lu, and L. S. Geng, Phys. Rep. 1108, 1 (2025).
  18. A. Esposito, A. Glioti, D. Germani, and A. D. Polosa, Riv. Nuovo Cimento 48, 95 (2025).
  19. A. Esposito, A. Pilloni, and A. D. Polosa, Phys. Rep. 668, 1 (2017).
  20. X. L. Wang et al. (Belle Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 142002 (2007).
  21. G. Pakhlova et al. (Belle Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 172001 (2008).
  22. J. P. Lees et al. (BABAR Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D 89, 111103 (2014).
  23. X. L. Wang et al. (Belle Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D 91, 112007 (2015).
  24. M. Ablikim et al. (BESIII Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D 96, 032004 (2017); 99, 019903(E) (2019).
  25. M. Ablikim et al. (BESIII Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D 104, 052012 (2021).
  26. M. Ablikim et al. (BESIII Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 132001 (2018).
  27. M. Ablikim et al. (BESIII Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 191901 (2023).
  28. S. Jia et al. (Belle Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D 100, 111103 (2019).
  29. S. Jia et al. (Belle Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D 101, 091101 (2020).
  30. M. Ablikim et al. (BESIII Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 102003 (2022).
  31. M. Ablikim et al. (BESIII Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 121901 (2023).
  32. X. Wang, X. Liu, and Y. Gao, Rev. Mod. Phys. 98, 021001 (2026).
  33. A. Amoroso et al., Universe 7, 436 (2021).
  34. Q. F. Cao, H. R. Qi, Y. F. Wang, and H. Q. Zheng, Phys. Rev. D 100, 054040 (2019).
  35. S. G. Salnikov and A. I. Milstein, Phys. Rev. D 108, L071505 (2023).
  36. A. I. Milstein and S. G. Salnikov, Phys. Rev. D 105, 074002 (2022).
  37. A. M. Badalian, B. L. G. Bakker, and I. V. Danilkin, Phys. At. Nucl. 72, 638 (2009).
  38. J. Segovia, D. R. Entem, and F. Fernandez, in Proceedings, 34th International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP 2008) (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, 2008), arXiv:0810.2875.
  39. Z. Zhao, K. Xu, A. Limphirat, W. Sreethawong, N. Tagsinsit, A. Kaewsnod, X. Liu, K. Khosonthongkee, S. Cheedket, and Y. Yan, Phys. Rev. D 109, 016012 (2024).
  40. G. Cotugno, R. Faccini, A. D. Polosa, and C. Sabelli, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 132005 (2010).
  41. X. Liu, H. W. Ke, X. Liu, and X. Q. Li, Eur. Phys. J. C 76, 549 (2016).
  42. S. X. Nakamura, X. H. Li, H. P. Peng, Z. T. Sun, and X. R. Zhou, Phys. Rev. D 112, 054027 (2025).
  43. F. K. Guo, J. Haidenbauer, C. Hanhart, and U. G. Meißner, Phys. Rev. D 82, 094008 (2010).
  44. F. K. Guo, C. Hanhart, and U. G. Meißner, Phys. Lett. B 665, 26 (2008).
  45. L. Y. Dai, J. Haidenbauer, and U. G. Meißner, Phys. Rev. D 96, 116001 (2017).
  46. Q. Ye, Z. Zhang, M. L. Du, U. G. Meißner, P. Y. Niu, and Q. Wang, Phys. Rev. D 112, 016015 (2025).
  47. M. L. Du, U. G. Meißner, and Q. Wang, Phys. Rev. D 94, 096006 (2016).
  48. M. Ablikim et al. (BESIII Collaboration), Chin. Phys. C 44, 040001 (2020).
  49. M. Anselmino, E. Predazzi, S. Ekelin, S. Fredriksson, and D. B. Lichtenberg, Rev. Mod. Phys. 65, 1199 (1993).
  50. M. Shifman and A. Vainshtein, Phys. Rev. D 71, 074010 (2005).
  51. Y. Kim, M. Oka, and K. Suzuki, Phys. Rev. D 111, 034014 (2025).
  52. P. Y. Niu, Q. Wang, and Q. Zhao, Phys. Rev. D 113, 033001 (2026).
  53. M. B. Voloshin, Phys. Rev. D 85, 034024 (2012).
  54. F. K. Guo, U. G. Meißner, W. Wang, and Z. Yang, Phys. Rev. D 92, 071502 (2015).
  55. S. M. Flatte, Phys. Lett. 63B, 224 (1976).
  56. F. Giacosa and G. Pagliara, Phys. Rev. C 76, 065204 (2007).
  57. N. A. Tornqvist and M. Roos, Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 1575 (1996).
  58. N. N. Achasov and G. N. Shestakov, Phys. Rev. D 81, 094029 (2010).
  59. M. Ablikim et al. (BES Collaboration), Phys. Lett. B 645, 19 (2007).
  60. E. M. Aitala et al. (E791 Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 770 (2001).
  61. M. Hoferichter, J. Ruiz de Elvira, B. Kubis, and U. G. Meißner, Phys. Lett. B 853, 138698 (2024).
  62. V. Baru, J. Haidenbauer, C. Hanhart, A. E. Kudryavtsev, and U. G. Meißner, Eur. Phys. J. A 23, 523 (2005).
  63. C. Hanhart, Y. S. Kalashnikova, P. Matuschek, R. V. Mizuk, A. V. Nefediev, and Q. Wang, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 202001 (2015).
  64. F. K. Guo, C. Hanhart, Y. S. Kalashnikova, P. Matuschek, R. V. Mizuk, A. V. Nefediev, Q. Wang, and J. L. Wynen, Phys. Rev. D 93, 074031 (2016).
  65. V. Baru, C. Hanhart, Y. S. Kalashnikova, A. E. Kudryavtsev, and A. V. Nefediev, Eur. Phys. J. A 44, 93 (2010).
  66. C. Hanhart, Y. S. Kalashnikova, and A. V. Nefediev, Eur. Phys. J. A 47, 101 (2011).
  67. A. Sommerfeld, Ann. Phys. (Berlin) 403, 257 (1931).
  68. A. D. Sakharov, Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz. 18, 631 (1948).
  69. S. Navas et al. (Particle Data Group Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D 110, 030001 (2024).
  70. X. Y. Hu, J. He, P. Niu, Q. Wang, and Y. Yan, Phys. Rev. D 113, 054003 (2026).
  71. E. Byckling and K. Kajantie, Particle Kinematics: (Chapters I–VI, X) (University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla, Finland, 1971).

Outline

Information

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation