Exploring the internal structure of exotic resonances with ALICE

Abstract

The investigation of the quark content of hadrons has been a major goal of nonperturbative strong interaction physics. In the last decade, several resonances in the mass range 1000-2000 MeV/c2 have emerged that cannot be explained by the quark model. The internal structure of exotic resonances such as f0, f1, and f2 is currently unknown. Different scenarios are possible ranging from twoquark, four-quark, molecule, a hybrid state, to glueballs. A modification of the measured yields of these exotic hadrons in A–A and p–A collisions as compared to pp collisions has been proposed as a tool to investigate their internal structure. In this proceeding, the first-ever measurement of f1 production in pp collisions and measurements of f0 and f2 production both in pp and p–Pb collisions will be discussed. The measurements of their mass, width, yields and their sensitivity to the internal structure of these exotic resonances will be shown. These results will pave the way for future experimental investigations on the internal structure of other exotic hadrons.