Using $e^+e^-$ collision data collected with the BESIII detector operating at the Beijing Electron Positron Collider, the cross section of $e^+e^-\to \pi^+\pi^- h_c$ is measured at 59 points with center-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}$ ranging from $4.009$ to $4.950~\mathrm{GeV}$ with a total integrated luminosity of $22.2~\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$. The cross section between $4.3$ and $4.45~\mathrm{GeV}$ exhibits a plateau-like shape and drops sharply around $4.5~\mathrm{GeV}$, which cannot be described by two resonances only. Three coherent Breit-Wigner functions are used to parameterize the $\sqrt{s}$-dependent cross section line shape. The masses and widths are determined to be $M_1=(4223.6_{-3.7-2.9}^{+3.6+2.6})~\mathrm{MeV}/c^2$, $\Gamma_1=(58.5_{-11.4-6.5}^{+10.8+6.7})~\mathrm{MeV}$, $M_2=(4327.4_{-18.8-9.3}^{+20.1+10.7})~\mathrm{MeV}/c^2$, $\Gamma_2=(244.1_{-27.1-18.0}^{+34.0+23.9})~\mathrm{MeV}$, and $M_3=(4467.4_{-5.4-2.7}^{+7.2+3.2})~\mathrm{MeV}/c^2$, $\Gamma_3=(62.8_{-14.4-6.6}^{+19.2+9.8})~\mathrm{MeV}$. The first uncertainties are statistical and the other two are systematic. The statistical significance of the three Breit-Wigner assumption over the two Breit-Wigner assumption is greater than $5\sigma$.
Dressed cross section at the 19 XYZ-I energy points with large statistics. The table also lists the integral luminosity, the number of signal events, the weighted efficiency, the radiative correction factor, and the dressed cross section. For the dressed cross section, the first error is statistical, the second error is the systematic, and the third error comes from the input branching ratios which is the dominant one in the multiplicative systematic uncertainties.
Dressed cross section at the 25 XYZ-II energy points with lower statistics. The table also lists the integral luminosity, the number of signal events, the weighted efficiency, the radiative correction factor, and the dressed cross section. For the dressed cross section, the first error is statistical, the second error is the systematic, and the third error comes from the input branching ratios which is the dominant one in the multiplicative systematic uncertainties.
Dressed cross section and its upper limit at the 15 R-scan energy points with small statistics. The table also lists the integral luminosity, the number of signal events, the weighted efficiency, the radiative correction factor, and the dressed cross section. For the dressed cross section, the first error is statistical, the second error is the systematic, and the third error comes from the input branching ratios which is the dominant one in the multiplicative systematic uncertainties.