Nonobservability of nonexponential decay
- 15 December 1984
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Physical Society (APS) in Physical Review D
- Vol. 30 (12) , 2692-2694
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevd.30.2692
Abstract
The decay of an unstable quantum system is treated using covariant relativistic quantum theory. This way all ambiguities existing in a nonrelativistic treatment are avoided. As a first example, we show that the proton in the present era decays exponentially. Two examples are then considered where the unstable particle is produced in a scattering experiment. In these cases the observability of nonexponential decay is limited by the energy resolution of the beam.Keywords
This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit:
- Search for Proton Decay intoPhysical Review Letters, 1983
- The effective proton lifetime and non-exponential decayPhysics Letters B, 1983
- The time scale for the quantum zeno paradox and proton decayPhysics Letters B, 1982
- Proton nonstability and the nonexponentiality of the decay lawPhysics Letters B, 1982
- Grand unified theories and proton decayPhysics Reports, 1981
- Nonexponential decay lawAnnals of Physics, 1980
- Decay theory of unstable quantum systemsReports on Progress in Physics, 1978
- Hierarchy of Interactions in Unified Gauge TheoriesPhysical Review Letters, 1974
- Unity of All Elementary-Particle ForcesPhysical Review Letters, 1974