Particles in finite volumes and a toy model of decaying neutrons
Abstract It is well-known that the momentum spectra of particles confined to finite spatial volumes deviate from the continuous spectra used for unconfined particles. In this article, we consider real scalar particles confined to finite volumes with periodic boundary conditions, such that the partic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2025-07-01
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| Series: | European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14467-5 |
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| _version_ | 1849343567560966144 |
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| author | Christian Käding |
| author_facet | Christian Käding |
| author_sort | Christian Käding |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract It is well-known that the momentum spectra of particles confined to finite spatial volumes deviate from the continuous spectra used for unconfined particles. In this article, we consider real scalar particles confined to finite volumes with periodic boundary conditions, such that the particles’ spectra are discrete. We directly compute the density matrices describing the decay processes $$\phi \rightarrow \varphi ^2$$ ϕ → φ 2 and $$\phi \rightarrow \varphi \chi \nu $$ ϕ → φ χ ν , and subsequently derive expressions for the decay probabilities both for confined and unconfined particles. The latter decay process is used as a rough toy model for a neutron decaying into a proton, an electron, and an anti-electron neutrino. We propose that finite volume effects can have an impact on the outcomes of experiments measuring the neutron lifetime. In addition, our findings at the toy model level suggest that taking into account possible initial correlations between neutrons and their daughter particles might be relevant as well. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1e358ae79afb433191ac339dbdac8b56 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1434-6052 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields |
| spelling | doaj-art-1e358ae79afb433191ac339dbdac8b562025-08-20T03:42:56ZengSpringerOpenEuropean Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields1434-60522025-07-0185711510.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14467-5Particles in finite volumes and a toy model of decaying neutronsChristian Käding0Atominstitut, Technische Universität WienAbstract It is well-known that the momentum spectra of particles confined to finite spatial volumes deviate from the continuous spectra used for unconfined particles. In this article, we consider real scalar particles confined to finite volumes with periodic boundary conditions, such that the particles’ spectra are discrete. We directly compute the density matrices describing the decay processes $$\phi \rightarrow \varphi ^2$$ ϕ → φ 2 and $$\phi \rightarrow \varphi \chi \nu $$ ϕ → φ χ ν , and subsequently derive expressions for the decay probabilities both for confined and unconfined particles. The latter decay process is used as a rough toy model for a neutron decaying into a proton, an electron, and an anti-electron neutrino. We propose that finite volume effects can have an impact on the outcomes of experiments measuring the neutron lifetime. In addition, our findings at the toy model level suggest that taking into account possible initial correlations between neutrons and their daughter particles might be relevant as well.https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14467-5 |
| spellingShingle | Christian Käding Particles in finite volumes and a toy model of decaying neutrons European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields |
| title | Particles in finite volumes and a toy model of decaying neutrons |
| title_full | Particles in finite volumes and a toy model of decaying neutrons |
| title_fullStr | Particles in finite volumes and a toy model of decaying neutrons |
| title_full_unstemmed | Particles in finite volumes and a toy model of decaying neutrons |
| title_short | Particles in finite volumes and a toy model of decaying neutrons |
| title_sort | particles in finite volumes and a toy model of decaying neutrons |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-025-14467-5 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT christiankading particlesinfinitevolumesandatoymodelofdecayingneutrons |