Production of excited $\Lambda_c^+$ baryons through $\Lambda_b$ hadronic weak decays

Abstract

In this work, to establish a more abundant $\Lambda_c$ baryon spectrum, we discuss the production potentials of the excited $\Lambda_c$ baryons through $\Lambda_b$ hadronic weak decays within a constituent quark model. Based on our successful explanations of the existing experimental data for the $\Lambda_b \to \Lambda_c(\pi^-, K^{-}, D^{-}, D^{-}_s, D_s^{*-})$ processes, we further calculate the decay rates of the $\Lambda_b$ baryon into the $1P$-, $1D$-, $2S$-, $3S$-, $2P$-, $1F$-, and $2D$-wave $\Lambda_c$ excited states. It is found that these $\Lambda_c$ excitations have a large production rate in the $\Lambda_b$ hadronic weak decay process associated $\pi^-$ meson emitting, i.e., $\Lambda_b\to \Lambda_c^{*}\pi^-$, their branching fractions can reach up to $\mathcal{O}(10^{-3})$. To search for the higher $3S$-, $2P$-, $1F$-, and $2D$-wave $\Lambda_c$ states, the $\Lambda_b \to \Lambda_c (3S) \pi^-\to D^{*0}p \pi^-$, and $\Lambda_b\to \Lambda_c(2P,2D,1F) \pi^-\to D^{(*)0}p\pi^-$ decays are worth observing in future experiments.