Using a data sample of $448.1\times {10}^6\psi (3686)$ events collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII, we perform search for the hadronic transition $h_c\to {\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}J/\psi$ via $\psi (3686)\to {\pi }^0{h}_c$. No signals of the transition are observed, and the upper limit on the product branching fraction $\mathcal{B}(\psi (3686)\to {\pi }^0{h}_c)\mathcal{B}(h_c\to {\pi }^{+}{\pi }^{-}J/\psi )$ at the 90% confidence level (C.L.) is determined to be $2.0\times {10}^{-6}$. This is the most stringent upper limit to date.

• Received 11 January 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.97.052008

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Published by the American Physical Society