Decoding the structure near the $\pi^+\pi^-$ mass threshold in $\psi(3686) \rightarrow J/\psi \pi^+\pi^-$ decays

Abstract

In light of recent high-precision data taken by the BESIII Collaboration, we reconsider the dipion transition $\psi(3686) \rightarrow J/\psi \pi^+\pi^-$. The strong pion-pion final-state interactions are taken into account model-independently by using dispersion theory. We find that we can reproduce the substructure near the $\pi^+\pi^-$ threshold observed experimentally without introducing an extra resonance state. While a helicity-flip amplitude plays an important role for the formation of the dip in the invariant-mass distribution, the virtual exchange of the charmoniumlike exotic $Z_c(3900)$ state improves the fit quality only slightly.