Search for theϕ‐Nbound state from ϕ meson subthreshold production

Abstract

The subthreshold photoproduction of \ensuremath{\phi} mesons from heavy nuclear targets has been suggested as a candidate to search for the \ensuremath{\phi}-$N$ bound state, a quantum chromodynamics molecular state. In this Brief Report, we present detailed Monte Carlo studies to demonstrate the feasibility of this technique. Further, we show that proton-induced subthreshold production of \ensuremath{\phi} meson from heavy nuclear targets is also suitable for such a search.