Strong phase in $\Lambda_c^+ \to \Xi^0 K^+$ decay with flavor $SU(3)_F$ symmetry

BESIII collaboration has recently reported the first time measurement of the decay asymmetry $\alpha(\Lambda_c^+ \to \Xi^0 K^+)$ with a value $0.01 \pm 0.16(stat.) \pm 0.03(syst.)$. In contrast, prior studies of global analyses based on the flavor $SU(3)_F$ symmetry with real decay amplitudes predict it to be close to one. The new measurement implies a significant strong phase shift between S- and P-wave amplitudes. This calls for a new full analysis with complex decay amplitudes to accommodate for strong phases. We find that such an analysis is possible to the leading order with the help of color symmetry to reduce the number of independent decay amplitudes. The establishment of sizable strong phases is an indispensable ingredient for future investigations into CP violation. While explaining a small value for $\alpha(\Lambda_c^+ \to {\Xi^0 K^+})$, a notable discrepancy emerges in the branching ratio for $\Xi_c^0 \to \Xi^- \pi^+$ for a good overall fit. The direct relationship between $\Gamma (\Lambda_c^+ \to \Lambda e^+\nu_e)$ and $\Gamma (\Xi_c^0 \to \Xi^- e^+\nu_e)$ as well as newly discovered $SU(3)_F$ relations collectively indicate an underestimation of ${\cal B}(\Xi_c^0 \to \Xi^- \pi^+)$ in experimental findings which needs to be further tested by new data.