Possible assignments of the $X(3872)$, $Z_c(3900)$ and $Z_b(10610)$ as axial-vector molecular states

In this article, we construct both the color singlet-singlet type and octet-octet type currents to interpolate the $X(3872)$, $Z_c(3900)$, $Z_b(10610)$, and calculate the vacuum condensates up to dimension-10 in the operator product expansion. Then we study the axial-vector hidden charmed and hidden bottom molecular states with the QCD sum rules, explore the energy scale dependence of the QCD sum rules for the heavy molecular states in details, and use the formula $\mu=\sqrt{M^2_{X/Y/Z}-(2{\mathbb{M}}_Q)^2}$ with the effective masses ${\mathbb{M}}_Q$ to determine the energy scales. The numerical results support assigning the $X(3872)$, $Z_c(3900)$, $Z_b(10610)$ as the color singlet-singlet type molecular states with $J^{PC}=1^{++}$, $1^{+-}$, $1^{+-}$, respectively, more theoretical and experimental works are still needed to distinguish the molecule and tetraquark assignments; while there are no candidates for the color octet-octet type molecular states.