Charmed mesons have no discernible color-Coulomb attraction

Abstract

Starting with a confining linear Lorentz scalar potential V_s and a Lorentz vector potential V_v which is also linear but has in addition a color-Coulomb attraction piece, -alpha_s/r, we solve the Dirac equation for the ground-state c- and u-quark wave functions. Then, convolving V_v with the u-quark density, we find that the Coulomb attraction mostly disappears, making an essentially linear barV_v for the c-quark. A similar convolution using the c-quark density also leads to an essentially linear tildeV_v for the u-quark. For bound cbar-c charmonia, where one must solve using a reduced mass for the c-quarks, we also find an essentially linear widehatV_v. Thus, the relativistic quark model describes how the charmed-meson mass spectrum avoids the need for a color-Coulomb attraction.