Search for $h_c \to \pi^+\pi^-J/\psi$ via $\psi(3686)\to \pi^0h_c$

Abstract

Using $(2712.4 \pm 14.3) \times 10^6~\psi$(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII collider, we search for the hadronic transition $h_c \to \pi^+\pi^-J/\psi$ via $\psi(3686)\to \pi^0 h_c$. No significant signal is observed. We set the most stringent upper limits to date on the branching fractions $\mathcal{B}(\psi(3686)\to \pi^0 h_c)\times\mathcal{B}(h_c\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi)$ and $\mathcal{B}(h_c \to \pi^+\pi^-J/\psi)$ at the 90$\%$ confidence level, which are determined to be $6.7\times 10^{-7}$ and $9.4 \times10^{-4}$, respectively.