Search for a narrow baryonic state decaying to ${pK^0_S}$ and ${\bar{p}K^0_S}$ in deep inelastic scattering at HERA

A search for a narrow baryonic state in the pK(S)(0) and (p) over barK(S)(0) system has been performed in ep collisions at HERA with the ZEUS detector using an integrated luminosity of 358 pb(-1) taken in 2003-2007. The search was performed with deep inelastic scattering events at an ep centre-of-mass energy of 318 GeV for exchanged photon virtuality, Q(2), between 20 and 100 GeV2. Contrary to evidence presented for such a state around 1.52 GeV in a previous ZEUS analysis using a sample of 121 pb(-1) taken in 1996-2000, no resonance peak was found in the p((p) over bar )K-S(0) invariant-mass distribution in the range 1.45-1.7 GeV. Upper limits on the production cross section are set. (C) 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.