Abstract: We implement our past investigations of quark-antiquark interaction through a non-perturbative running coupling defined in terms of a gluon mass function, similar to that used in some Schwinger-Dyson approaches. This coupling leads to a quark-antiquark potential, which satisfies not only asymptotic freedom but also describes linear confinement correctly. From this potential, we calculate the bottomonium and charmonium spectra below the first open flavor meson-meson thresholds and show that for a small range of values of the free parameter determining the gluon mass function an excellent agreement with data is attained.

Abstract: We show, from a diabatic analysis of lattice results for string breaking, that mixing of Q (Q) over bar with open-flavor meson-meson configurations may be expressed through a mixing potential which is order 1/m(Q). A relation between the minimum string breaking energy gap and the string tension comes out naturally. Using this relation, and matching the energy gap for b (b) over bar with lattice QCD data, we study the mixing in the c (c) over bar case without any additional parameter. A 1(++) bound state very close below the D-0(D) over bar*(0) threshold, in perfect correspondence with chi(c1)(3872), is predicted.

Abstract: From a diabatic bound state approach to J(PC) = 1(--) and (0,1,2)(++) charmoniumlike resonances below 4.1 GeV, formulated in terms of c (c) over bar and closed meson-meson channels, we calculate mass shifts and widths due to open meson-meson channels. This calculation does not involve any new free parameter, so comparison of our predictions with existing data provides a direct test of our approach. Further mass corrections are also estimated and good agreement with the measured masses comes out. As for the calculated widths, overall reasonable, they point out to the need of some refinement of our current bound state approximation for an accurate description of data. These results give additional support to the diabatic approach in QCD as an adequate framework for a complete unified description of conventional and unconventional charmoniumlike resonances. In this respect, the experimental discovery of a predicted 2(++) resonance with a mass around 4 GeV would be of special relevance.

Abstract: We apply the diabatic framework, a QCD-based formalism for the unified study of quarkoniumlike systems in terms of heavy quark-antiquark and open-flavor meson-meson components, to the description of coupled-channel meson-meson scattering. For this purpose, we first introduce a numerical scheme to find the solutions of the diabatic Schrodinger equation for energies in the continuum, then we derive a general formula for calculating the meson-meson scattering amplitudes from these solutions. We thus obtain a completely nonperturbative procedure for the calculation of open-flavor meson-meson scattering cross sections from the diabatic potential, which is directly connected to lattice QCD calculations. A comprehensive analysis of various elastic cross sections for open-charm and open-bottom meson-meson pairs is performed in a wide range of the center-of-mass energies. The relevant structures are identified, showing a spectrum of quasiconventional and unconventional quarkoniumlike states. In addition to the customary Breit-Wigner peaks, we obtain nontrivial structures such as threshold cusps and minimums. Finally, our results are compared with existing data and with results from our previous bound-state-based analysis, finding full compatibility with both.

Abstract: We apply the diabatic formalism, first introduced in molecular physics, to the description of heavy-quark mesons. In this formalism the dynamics is completely described by a diabatic potential matrix whose elements can be derived from unquenched lattice QCD studies of string breaking. For energies far below the lowest open flavor meson-meson threshold, the resulting diabatic approach reduces to the well-known Born-Oppenheimer approximation where heavy-quark meson masses correspond to energy levels in an effective quark-antiquark potential. For energies close below or above that threshold, where the Born-Oppenheimer approximation fails, this approach provides a set of coupled Schrodinger equations incorporating meson-meson components nonperturbatively, i.e., beyond loop corrections. A spectral study of heavy mesons containing c (c) over bar with masses below 4.1 GeV is carried out within this framework. From it a unified description of conventional as well as unconventional resonances comes out.