Internal structure of the T₂₂ (3875) ^+ from its light-quark mass dependence

We employ a chiral effective field theory-based approach to connect DD^* scattering observables at the physical and variable pion masses accessible in lattice QCD simulations. We incorporate all relevant scales associated with three-body DD dynamics and the left-hand cut induced by the one-pion exchange for pion masses higher than the physical one, as required by analyticity and unitarity. By adjusting the contact interactions to match experimental data at the physical pion mass and lattice finite-volume energy levels at m_ = 280 MeV, we predict the trajectory of the T₂₂ pole as a function of the pion mass, finding it consistent with the hadronic-molecule scenario. In particular, we find that the explicit treatment of the one-pion exchange has a pronounced effect on the pole trajectory for m_ 230 MeV by pushing it into the complex energy plane.