{
  "abstract": "Short-distance correlations generate universal relations that can be independent of microscopic details. Tan's contact is a prominent example, connecting close pairs, high-momentum constituents, and bound-state formation across atomic, condensed-matter, and nuclear systems. Whether an analogous universality governs the nonequilibrium freeze-out of relativistic QCD matter is an open question. We develop an effective contact theory that relates the production of loosely bound states to continuum two-particle correlations in heavy-ion collisions. The construction replaces the hard relative-momentum cutoff of conventional coalescence by a regulated Bethe--Peierls kernel: freeze-out localization fixes its momentum scale, while the composite yield fixes its contact residue. Bound and continuum observables then become projections of a common two-particle density matrix rather than independent phenomena. Coulomb-bound $Kμ$ atoms provide an ideal realization because their atomic, production, and source scales are widely separated. A contact-theory analysis of STAR $dΛ$ correlations supplies a first bound--continuum consistency test and demonstrates how inferred near-threshold parameters can depend on the finite expanding source. The framework establishes a general strategy for relating coalescence, correlations, and exotic bound states in strongly interacting expanding matter.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.38579",
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Xiaofeng Wang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Zebo Tang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Zhangbu Xu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Chi Yang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Wangmei Zha"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/eenvpfvdd9wng.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.38579",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "eenvpfvdd9wng",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.38579",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.str-el"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "nucl-ex"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "nucl-th"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3106|High-Energy Particle Collisions Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7215054452",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.38579",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-29",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/eenvpfvdd9wng.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:25:49Z",
      "native_id": "2609.38579",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.38579"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:cond-mat.str-el",
      "subfield": "condensed-matter"
    },
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:nucl-ex",
      "subfield": "nuclear"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Effective Contact Theory for Exotic Loosely Bound States in Strongly Interacting Expanding Matter",
  "title_text": "Effective Contact Theory for Exotic Loosely Bound States in Strongly Interacting Expanding Matter",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:25:49Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/eenvpfvdd9wng",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}