Observation of ηc(2S)→pp¯ and search for X(3872)→pp¯ decays

The first observation of the decay ηc(2S)→pp¯ is reported using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0fb−1 recorded by the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. The ηc(2S) resonance is produced in the decay B+→[cc¯]K+. The product of branching fractions normalised to that for the J/ψ intermediate state, Rηc(2S), is measured to be Rηc(2S)≡B(B+→ηc(2S)K+)×B(ηc(2S)→pp¯)B(B+→J/ψK+)×B(J/ψ→pp¯)= (1.58±0.33±0.09)×10−2, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. No signals for the decays B+→X(3872)(→pp¯)K+ and B+→ψ(3770)(→pp¯)K+ are seen, and the 95\% confidence level upper limits on their relative branching ratios are % found to be RX(3872)