Scattering of an ultrasoft pion and the X(3872)

Abstract

The identification of the X(3872) as a loosely-bound charm-meson molecule allows it to be described by an effective field theory, called XEFT, for the DD̄, DD̄, and DD̄π sector of QCD at energies small compared to the pion mass. We point out that this effective field theory can be extended to the sector that includes an additional pion and used to calculate cross sections for the scattering of a pion and the X(3872). If the collision energy is much smaller than the pion mass, the cross sections are completely calculable at leading order in terms of the masses and widths of the charm mesons, pion masses, and the binding energy of the X(3872). We carry out an explicit calculation of the cross section for the breakup of the X(3872) into D*+D̄*0 by the scattering of a very low energy π+. ©2010 The American Physical Society.