Non-exponential decay in quantum field theory and in quantum mechanics: the case of two (or more) decay channels

DOI10.1007/S10701-012-9667-3MaRDI QIDQ1929319zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Francesco Giacosa

Publication date 7 January 2013

Published in Foundations of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1110.5923

zbMATH Keywords

quantum mechanicsquantum field theorynon-exponential decaytwo decay channels

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Closed and approximate solutions to the Schrödinger, Dirac, Klein-Gordon and other equations of quantum mechanics (81Q05) Quantum field theory on curved space or space-time backgrounds (81T20) Quantum scattering theory (81U99)

Abstract: We study the deviations from the exponential decay law, both in quantum field theory (QFT) and quantum mechanics (QM), for an unstable particle which can decay in (at least) two decay channels. After a review of general properties of non-exponential decay in QFT and QM, we evaluate in both cases the decay probability that the unstable particle decays in a given channel in the time interval between $t$ and $t+dt.$ An important quantity is the ratio of the probability of decay into the first and the second channel: this ratio is constant in the Breit-Wigner limit (in which the decay law is exponential) and equals the quantity $Gamm{a}_1/Gamm{a}_2$, where $Gamm{a}_1$ and $Gamm{a}_2$ are the respective tree-level decay widths. However, in the full treatment (both for QFT and QM) it is an oscillating function around the mean value $Gamm{a}_1/Gamm{a}_2$ and the deviations from this mean value can be sizable. Technically, we study the decay properties in QFT in the context of a superrenormalizable Lagrangian with scalar particles and in QM in the context of Lee Hamiltonians, which deliver formally analogous expressions to the QFT case.

Recommendations

• Multichannel decay law
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Cites work

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 2070094 (Why is no real title available?)
• Deviation from the exponential decay law in relativistic quantum field theory: the example of strongly decaying particles
• Quantum Anti-Zeno Paradox
• Some Special Examples in Renormalizable Field Theory

Cited in

(9)

• To the theory of unstable states
• The evolution of the FRW universe with decaying metastable dark energy—a dynamical system analysis
• Decays of unstable quantum systems
• Deviation from the exponential decay law in relativistic quantum field theory: the example of strongly decaying particles
• The role of the next-to-leading order triangle-shaped diagram in two-body hadronic decays
• Breit-Wigner distribution, quantum beats and GSI anomaly
• Multichannel decay law
• Non-exponential decay for polaron model
• Propagator poles and an emergent stable state below threshold: general discussion and the \(E(38)\) state

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