Exploring possible ${}_{{\Lambda }_c}^3\text{H}$ bound states through $p{\Lambda }_c$ femtoscopic correlations

Abstract

The femtoscopic correlation technique in relativistic heavy-ion collisions provides a unique opportunity to investigate hadron-hadron interactions and possible exotic states. In this work, we study the $p{\Lambda }_c$ correlation function and its sensitivity to the low-energy $N{\Lambda }_c$ interaction related to possible ${}_{{\Lambda }_c}^3\mathrm{H}$ bound states. Based on the quark delocalization color screening model, three interaction scenarios with different strengths are constructed, and the corresponding spin-averaged $p{\Lambda }_c$ correlation functions are calculated within the Koonin--Pratt formalism. The results demonstrate that the correlation function is sensitive to the $p{\Lambda }_c$ interaction strength, with coupled-channel effects and $S$-$D$ wave mixing producing additional enhancements in the correlation signal. These findings suggest that future $p{\Lambda }_c$ femtoscopic measurements at relativistic heavy-ion collision experiments can provide valuable constraints on the interaction between charmed baryons and nucleons and offer guidance for exploring possible heavy-flavor hypernuclei.

11 pages, 4 figures