Abstract: The properties of strange (K, (K) over bar and (K) over bar*) and open-charm (D, (D) over bar and D*) mesons in dense matter are studied using a unitary approach in coupled channels for meson-baryon scattering. In the strangeness sector, the interaction with nucleons always comes through vector-meson exchange, which is evaluated by chiral and hidden gauge Lagrangians. For the interaction of charmed mesons with nucleons we extend the SU(3) Weinberg-Tomozawa Lagrangian to incorporate spin-flavor symmetry and implement a suitable flavor symmetry breaking. The in-medium solution for the scattering amplitude accounts for Pauli blocking effects and meson self-energies. On one hand, we obtain the K, (K) over bar and (K) over bar* spectral functions in the nuclear medium and study their behaviour at finite density, temperature and momentum. We also make an estimate of the transparency ratio of the gamma A -> K+ K*(-) A' reaction, which we propose as a tool to detect in-medium modifications of the (K) over bar* meson. On the other hand, in the charm sector, several resonances with negative parity are generated dynamically by the s-wave interaction between pseudoscalar and vector meson multiplets with 1/2(+) and 3/2(+) baryons. The properties of these states in matter are analyzed and their influence on the open-charm meson spectral functions is studied. We finally discuss the possible formation of D-mesic nuclei at FAIR energies.

Abstract: We evaluate the contribution to the X(3872) width from a triangle mechanism in which the X decays into D0D<overbar></mml:mover>0-cc, then the D0(D<overbar></mml:mover>0) decays into D0 pi 0 (D<overbar></mml:mover>0 pi 0) and the D0D<overbar></mml:mover>0 fuse to produce pi+pi-. This mechanism produces an asymmetric peak from a triangle singularity in the pi+pi- invariant mass with a shape very sensitive to the X mass. We evaluate the branching ratios for a reaction where this effect can be seen in the B--> K-pi 0 pi+pi- reaction and show that the determination of the peak in the invariant mass distribution of pi <mml:mo>+pi <mml:mo>- is all that is needed to determine the X mass. Given the present uncertainties in the X mass, which do not allow to know whether the D<mml:mo>0<mml:mover accent=“true”>D<mml:mo stretchy=“false”><overbar></mml:mover>0 state is bound or not, measurements like the one suggested here should be most welcome to clarify this issue.

Abstract: We have performed a study of the Lambda(0)(b) -> eta K-c(-) p and Lambda(0)(b) -> eta(c)pi Sigma reactions based on the dominant Cabibbo favored weak decay mechanism. We show that the K- p produced only couples to Lambda* states, not Sigma* and that the pi Sigma state is only generated from final state interaction of (K) over barN and eta Lambda channels which are produced in a primary stage. This guarantees that the pi Sigma state is generated in isospin I=0 and we see that the invariant mass produces a clean signal for the Lambda(1405) of higher mass at 1420 MeV. We also study the eta(c)p final state interaction, which is driven by the excitation of a hidden charm resonance predicted before. We relate the strength of the different invariant mass distributions and find similar strengths that should be clearly visible in an ongoing LHCb experiment. In particular we predict that a clean peak should be seen for a hidden charm resonance that couples to the eta(c)p channel in the invariant eta(c)p mass distribution.