Abstract: The hidden-charm pentaquark P-c(4450) observed recently by the LHCb collaboration may be of molecular nature, as advocated by some unitary approaches that also predict pentaquark partners in the strangeness S = -1 sector. In this work we argue that a hidden-charm strange pentaquark could be seen from the decay of the Lambda b, just as in the case of the non-strange P-c(4450), but looking into the J/psi eta Lambda decay mode and forming the invariant mass spectrum of J/psi Lambda pairs. In the model presented here, which assumes a standard weak decay topology and incorporates the hadronization process and final-state interaction effects, we find the J/psi eta Lambda final states to be populated with similar strength as the J/psi K- p states employed for the observation of the non-strange pentaquark. This makes the Lambda b -> J/psi eta Lambda decay to be an interesting process to observe a possible strange partner of the P-c(4450). We study the dependence of the J/psi Lambda mass spectra on various model ingredients and on the unknown properties of the strange pentaquark.

Abstract: Heavy-ion reactions and other collective dynamical processes are frequently described by different theoretical approaches for the different stages of the process, like initial equilibration stage, intermediate locally equilibrated fluid dynamical stage, and final freeze-out stage. For the last stage, the best known is the Cooper-Frye description used to generate the phase space distribution of emitted, noninteracting particles from a fluid dynamical expansion or explosion, assuming a final ideal gas distribution, or (less frequently) an out-of-equilibrium distribution. In this work we do not want to replace the Cooper-Frye description, but rather clarify the ways of using it and how to choose the parameters of the distribution and, eventually, how to choose the form of the phase space distribution used in the Cooper-Frye formula. Moreover, the Cooper-Frye formula is used in connection with the freeze-out problem, while the discussion of transition between different stages of the collision is applicable to other transitions also. More recently, hadronization and molecular dynamics models have been matched to the end of a fluid dynamical stage to describe hadronization and freeze-out. The stages of the model description can be matched to each other on space-time hypersurfaces (just like through the frequently used freeze-out hypersurface). This work presents a generalized description of how to match the stages of the description of a reaction to each other, extending the methodology used at freeze-out, in simple covariant form which is easily applicable in its simplest version for most applications.

Abstract: We study the weak decay of the Lambda(b) into J/psi K Xi. and J/psi eta Lambda states, and relate these processes to the Lambda(b) -> J/psi(K) over barN decay mode. The elementary weak transition at the quark level proceeds via the creation of a J/psi meson and an excited sud system with I = 0, which upon hadronization leads to (K) over barN or eta Lambda pairs. These states undergo final-state interaction in coupled channels and produce a final meson-baryon pair. The K. state only occurs via rescattering, hence making the Lambda(b) -> J/psi K Xi process very sensitive to the details of the meson-baryon interaction in strangeness S = -1 and isospin I = 0. We show that the corresponding invariant mass distribution is dominated by the next-to-leading-order terms of the chiral interaction. The I = 0 selectivity of this decay, and its large sensitivity to the higher-order terms, makes its measurement very useful and complementary to the K- p -> K Xi cross section data. The rates of the Lambda(b) -> J/psi K Xi and Lambda(b) -> J/psi eta Lambda invariant mass distributions are sizable compared to those of the Lambda(b) -> J/psi(K) over barN decay, which is measured experimentally, and thus, we provide arguments for an experimental determination of these decay modes that will help us understand better the chiral dynamics at higher energies.