A new analysis of lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (LQCD) data has revealed a double-pole structure for the D0*(2300) meson, an exotic hadronic state. This study, employing Unitary Chiral Perturbation Theory (UChPT), investigates the scattering of light and charmed pseudoscalar mesons across a pion mass range from 230 MeV up to the SU(3) limit of 700 MeV. The results indicate the presence of two poles in the non-strange isospin I=1/2 sector, both related to the experimental D0*(2300) resonance.

At the physical pion mass, the poles are located at √s0 = 2094(7)(1) - i111(7)(13) MeV and 2463(60)(30) - i108(14)(12) MeV. The first pole, named D0*(2100), consistently behaves as a resonance in Dπ scattering within the 1σ region. The second pole, however, can manifest as either a resonance or a virtual state, depending on its proximity to the Dη and DsK channel thresholds. This is the first time the pion mass dependence of these poles has been studied along different chiral trajectories, including LQCD data in the SU(3) limit.

The researchers observed that along the trajectory with physical strange quark mass (ms = ms,phy), the D0*(2100) pole exhibits behavior similar to the σ resonance in ππ scattering, splitting into two poles associated with the 3 representation. Furthermore, the higher-energy pole, related to the experimental D0*(2300), appears to be linked to the 6 representation. The mass of this latter pole remains remarkably constant along the Tr[M]=C trajectory, suggesting strong coupling to hidden strangeness channels and providing a verifiable prediction for future LQCD simulations. The study also evaluated the composition of the D0*(2100) state in the SU(3) limit.