CERN Accelerating science

Understanding the structure of light nuclei and the interactions among their constituents has been a long-standing goal in nuclear physics. Nuclear systems composed of three hadrons, such as unbound ensembles formed by a deuteron and a third nucleon, serve as fundamental references in nuclear physics for constraining nuclear interactions and understanding the properties of nuclei. In this seminar, we present the latest results based on the femtoscopic correlations of proton-deuteron (p–d) and Kaon-deuteron( K+–d) measured by the ALICE Collaboration in proton-proton (pp) collisions at √𝑠=13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). These momentum-space correlations between deuterons and kaons or protons provide insights into three-hadron systems at distances comparable to the proton radius. The analysis of the K+–d correlation indicates that the relative distances at which deuterons and protons/kaons are produced are around 2 fm. The analysis of the p–d correlation demonstrates that only a full three-body calculation that accounts for the internal structure of the deuteron can explain the data. Specifically, the sensitivity of the observable to the short-range part of the interaction is emphasized. Additionally, the measured p–d correlation function is sensitive to the inclusion of higher-order partial waves. This study opens an avenue for strong interaction studies in three-body systems, including Λ/Σ–d or Λ𝑐–d, to investigate three-baryon systems in the strange and charm sectors, which are otherwise inaccessible.

Refreshments will be served at 10:30