Temperature-dependent cross sections for charmonium dissociation in collisions with kaons and η mesons in hadronic matter

Abstract

We study kaon-charmonium and η-charmonium dissociation reactions. The K-charmonium dissociation and the η-charmonium dissociation include the following 27 reactions: , and ; , and ; , and ; , , , , and ; , , , , and ; , , , , and . Cross sections for the reactions are calculated in the Born approximation, in the quark-interchange mechanism and with a temperature-dependent quark potential. The temperature dependence of peak cross sections of endothermic reactions is linked to the temperature dependence of quark–antiquark relative-motion wave functions, meson masses and the quark potential. Although the η meson and kaon have similar masses, the energy and temperature dependence of the η-charmonium dissociation cross sections are quite different from those of the K-charmonium dissociation cross sections. Using the η-charmonium and π-charmonium dissociation cross sections, we calculate the ratio of the corresponding dissociation rates in hadronic matter and we find that such rates are comparable at low momenta.