Observation of the $\Lambda_b^0\rightarrow \chi_{c1}(3872)pK^-$ decay

Using proton-proton collision data, collected with the LHCb detector and corresponding to 1.0, 2.0 and 1.9 fb$^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity at the centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, respectively, the decay $\Lambda_b^0\to \chi_{c1}(3872)pK^-$ with $\chi_{c1}\to J/\psi\pi^+\pi^-$ is observed for the first time. The significance of the observed signal is in excess of seven standard deviations. It is found that $(58\pm15)\%$ of the decays proceed via the two-body intermediate state $\chi_{c11}(3872)\Lambda(1520)$. The branching fraction with respect to that of the $\Lambda_b\to\psi(2S)p K^{-}$ decay mode, where the $\psi(2S)$ meson is reconstructed in the $J/\psi \pi^+\pi^-$ final state, is measured to be: \begin{equation*} \frac{\Lambda_b^0\to \chi_{c1}(3872)pK^-} {\Lambda_b\to\psi(2S)p K^{-}} \times \frac{ \mathcal{B}( \chi_{c1} \to J/\psi \pi^+\pi^-)} { \mathcal{B}( \psi(2S) \to J/\psi \pi^+\pi^-)} = \left(5.4 \pm 1.1 \pm 0.2\right)\times 10^{-2}\,, \end{equation*} where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic.