Search for the $e^+e^- \to \phi\chi_{c1}(3872)$ process at BESIII

Abstract

Based on 368.5 pb$^{-1}$ of $e^+e^-$ collision data collected at center-of-mass energies 4.914 and 4.946 GeV by the BESIII detector, the $e^+e^- \to \phi\chi_{c1}(3872)$ process is searched for the first time. No significant signal is observed and the upper limits at the 90\% confidence level on the product of the Born cross section $\sigma(e^+e^- \to \phi\chi_{c1}(3872))$ and the branching fraction $\mathcal{B}[\chi_{c1}(3872)\to\pi^+\pi^- J/\psi]$ at 4.914 and 4.946 GeV are set to be 0.85 and 0.96 pb, respectively. These measurements provide useful information for the production of the $\chi_{c1}(3872)$ at $e^+e^-$ collider and deepen our understanding about the nature of this particle.