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Exploring two-body strong decay properties for possible single charm molecular pentaquarks with strangeness $| S | = 1$ , 2

Xiao-Mei Tang¹, Jin-Yu Huo ¹, Qi Huang^2,*, and Rui Chen ^1,3,†

¹Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Structures and Quantum Control of Ministry of Education, Department of Physics and Synergetic Innovation Center for Quantum Effects and Applications, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
²Department of Physics and Technology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
³Hunan Research Center of the Basic Discipline for Quantum Effects and Quantum Technologies, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China

^*Contact author: 06289@njnu.edu.cn
^†Contact author: chenrui@hunnu.edu.cn

Phys. Rev. D 114, 014027 – Published 13 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/q56z-n2lw

Abstract

The exploration of exotic hadrons provides a crucial testing ground for quantum chromodynamics in its nonperturbative regime. In this work, we perform a systematic study of the two-body strong decay properties of single-charm molecular pentaquarks in the $Y_{c} {\bar{K}}^{(*)}$ systems, where $Y_{c} = Λ_{c}$ , $Σ_{c}$ , $Ξ_{c}$ , and $Ξ_{c}^{'}$ . Employing an effective Lagrangian approach combined with hadronic molecular wave functions derived from the one-boson-exchange model, we compute the decay widths and branching ratios for a series of predicted states with strangeness $| S | = 1$ and $| S | = 2$ . Our calculations reveal distinctive decay patterns that serve as fingerprints for molecular identification. The total decay widths vary dramatically, from less than 1 MeV for the narrow $Σ_{c} \bar{K}$ $(I (J^{P}) = 1 / 2 (1 / 2^{-}))$ state to several tens of MeV for broader coupled-channel molecules like $Λ_{c} {\bar{K}}^{*} / Σ_{c} {\bar{K}}^{*}$ . A key finding is the stability of the predicted branching ratios against variations in the binding energy. The decay dynamics are dominated by light meson (particularly pion) exchange, leading to a strong preference for final states containing a charmed baryon and a strange meson. Furthermore, coupled-channel effects and isospin-related interference play essential roles in both the formation and decay mechanisms of specific candidates. The results provide concrete, testable predictions for future experimental searches at facilities such as LHCb and Belle II.

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Phys. Rev. D 114, 014027– Published 13 July, 2026

Vol. 114, Iss. 1 — 1 July 2026

Received 31 March 2026
Accepted 5 June 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/q56z-n2lw

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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Exploring two-body strong decay properties for possible single charm molecular pentaquarks with strangeness $| S | = 1$ , 2

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Exploring two-body strong decay properties for possible single charm molecular pentaquarks with strangeness |S|=1, 2

Abstract

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Article Text

References (69)

Exploring two-body strong decay properties for possible single charm molecular pentaquarks with strangeness $| S | = 1$ , 2