Emergence of a complete heavy-quark spin symmetry multiplet; Seven molecular pentaquarks in light of the latest LHCb analysis

Liu, M.-Z.*; Pan, Y.-W.*; Peng, F.-Z.*; Snchez-Snchez, M.*; Geng, L.-S.*; Hosaka, Atsushi; Valderrama, M. P.*

A recent analysis by the LHCb Collaboration suggests the existence of three narrow pentaquarklike states-the (4312), (4440), and (4457)-instead of just one in the previous analysis [the (4450)]. The closeness of the (4312) to the threshold and the (4440) and (4457) to the threshold suggests a molecular interpretation of these resonances. We show that these three pentaquarklike resonances can be naturally accommodated in a contact-range effective field theory description that incorporates heavy-quark spin symmetry. This description leads to the prediction of all the seven possible -wave heavy antimeson-baryon molecules [that is, there should be four additional molecular pentaquarks in addition to the (4312), (4440), and (4457)], providing the first example of a heavy-quark spin symmetry molecular multiplet that is complete. If this is confirmed, it will not only give us an impressive example of the application of heavy-quark symmetries and effective field theories in hadron physics, it will also uncover a clear and powerful ordering principle for the molecular spectrum, reminiscent of the SU(3)-flavor multiplets to which the light hadron spectrum conforms.