Search for New Hadronic Decays of $h_c$ and Observation of $h_c\to K^{+}{K}^{-}\ddot{I}{€}^{+}\ddot{I}{€}^{-}\ddot{I}{€}^0$

Abstract

Ten hadronic final states of the $h_c$ decays are investigated via the process $\ddot{I}ˆ(3686)\to \ddot{I}{€}^0{h}_c$, using a data sample of $(448.1\pm 2.9)\times 10^6$ $\ddot{I}ˆ(3686)$ events collected with the BESIII detector. The decay channel $h_c\to K^{+}{K}^{-}\ddot{I}{€}^{+}\ddot{I}{€}^{-}\ddot{I}{€}^0$ is observed for the first time with a significance of $6.0\ddot{I}ƒ$. The corresponding branching fraction is determined to be $\mathcal{B}(h_c\to K^{+}{K}^{-}\ddot{I}{€}^{+}\ddot{I}{€}^{-}\ddot{I}{€}^0)=(3.3\pm 0.6\pm 0.6)\times 10^{-3}$ (the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematical). Evidence for the decays $h_c\to \ddot{I}{€}^{+}\ddot{I}{€}^{-}\ddot{I}{€}^0\hat{I}\cdot$ and $h_c\to K_S^0{K}^{\pm }\ddot{I}{€}^{\mp }\ddot{I}{€}^{+}\ddot{I}{€}^{-}$ is found with a significance of $3.6\ddot{I}ƒ$ and $3.8\ddot{I}ƒ$, respectively. The corresponding branching fractions (and upper limits) are obtained to be $\mathcal{B}(h_c\to \ddot{I}{€}^{+}\ddot{I}{€}^{-}\ddot{I}{€}^0\hat{I}\cdot )=(7.2\pm 1.8\pm 1.3)\times 10^{-3}$ $(<1.8\times 10^{-2})$ and $\mathcal{B}(h_c\to K_S^0{K}^{\pm }\ddot{I}{€}^{\mp }\ddot{I}{€}^{+}\ddot{I}{€}^{-})=(2.8\pm 0.9\pm 0.5)\times 10^{-3}$ $(<4.7\times 10^{-3})$. Upper limits on the branching fractions for the final states $h_c\to K^{+}{K}^{-}\ddot{I}{€}^0$, $K^{+}{K}^{-}\hat{I}\cdot$, $K^{+}{K}^{-}\ddot{I}{€}^{+}\ddot{I}{€}^{-}\hat{I}\cdot$, $2(K^{+}{K}^{-})\ddot{I}{€}^0$, $K^{+}{K}^{-}\ddot{I}{€}^0\hat{I}\cdot$, $K_S^0{K}^{\pm }\ddot{I}{€}^{\mp }$, and $p\bar{p}\ddot{I}{€}^0\ddot{I}{€}^0$ are determined at a confidence level of 90\%.

10 pages, 2 figures