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arXiv:1008.3917 · Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical

No classical limit of quantum decay for broad states

N. G. Kelkar, Marek Nowakowski

Published Aug 20, 2010• 59 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Though the classical treatment of spontaneous decay leads to an exponential decay law, it is well known that this is an approximation of the quantum mechanical result which is non-exponential at very small and large times for narrow states. The non-exponential nature at large times is, however, hard to establish from experiments. A method to recover the time evolution of unstable states from a parametrization of the amplitude fitted to data is presented. We apply the method to a realistic example of a very broad state, the σ meson and reveal that an exponential decay is not a valid approximation at any time for this state. This example derived from experiment shows the unique nature of broad resonances.

DOI
10.1088/1751-8113/43/38/385308

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Though the classical treatment of spontaneous decay leads to an exponential decay law, it is well known that this is an approximation of the quantum mechanical result which is non-exponential at very small and large times for narrow states. The non-exponential nature at large times is, however, hard to establish from experiments. A method to recover the time evolution of unstable states from a parametrization of the amplitude fitted to data is presented. We apply the method to a realistic example of a very broad state, the σ meson and reveal that an exponential decay is not a valid approximation at any time for this state. This example derived from experiment shows the unique nature of broad resonances.
An effect generated by the nonexponential behavior of the survival amplitude of an unstable state in the long time region is considered.We find that the instantaneous energy of the unstable state for a large class of models of unstable states tends to the minimal energy of the system E min as t → ∞ which is much smaller than the energy of this state for t of the order of the lifetime of the considered state.Analyzing the transition time region between the exponential and non-exponential form of the survival amplitude, we find that the instantaneous energy of the considered unstable state can take large values, much larger than the energy of this state for t from the exponential time region.Taking into account results obtained for a considered model, it is hypothesized that this purely quantum mechanical effect may be responsible for the properties of broad resonances such as σ meson as well as having astrophysical and cosmological consequences Key words: decay law, non exponential decay
An effect generated by the nonexponential behavior of the survival amplitude of an unstable state in the long time region is considered. We find that the instantaneous energy of the unstable state for a large class of models of unstable states tends to the minimal energy of the system Emin{\cal E}_{min}Emin​ as t→∞t\rightarrow\inftyt→∞ which is much smaller than the energy of this state for ttt of the order of the lifetime of the considered state. Analyzing the transition time region between exponential and non-exponential form of the survival amplitude we find that the instantaneous energy of the considered unstable state can take large values, much larger than the energy of this state for ttt from the exponential time region. Taking into account results obtained for a model considered, it is hypothesized that this purely quantum mechanical effect may be responsible for the properties of broad resonances such as σσσ meson as well as having astrophysical and cosmological consequences.
Possible consequences of non-exponential behavior of the survival amplitude of an unstable particle at very late times are considered. We describe a new quantum phenomenon: Analyzing the transition time region between exponential and post-exponential form of the survival amplitude we find that the instantaneous energy of the considered unstable state can take large values, much larger than the energy of this state for from the exponential time region. We find also that the instantaneous energy of the unstable state tends to the minimal energy of the system as which is much smaller than the energy of this state for of the order of the lifetime of the considered state. Taking into account the results obtained for the model considered, it is hypothesized that this purely quantum mechanical effect may be responsible for the properties of broad resonances such as meson as well as having astrophysical consequences.
Abstract Methods based on the use of Green’s functions or Jost functions and the Fock–Krylov method are apparently very different approaches to understand the time evolution of unstable states. We show that the two former methods are equivalent up to some constants and as an outcome find an analytic expression for the energy density of states in the Fock–Krylov amplitude in terms of the coefficients introduced in the Green’s functions and the Jost functions methods. This model-independent density is further used to obtain an analytical expression for the survival amplitude and study its behaviour at large times. Using these expressions, we investigate the origin of the oscillatory behaviour of the decay law in the region of the transition from the exponential to the non-exponential at large times. With the objective of understanding the failure of nuclear and particle physics experiments in observing the non-exponential decay law predicted by quantum mechanics for large times, we derive analytical formulae for the critical transition time, , from the exponential to the inverse power law behaviour at large times. Evaluating for some particle resonances and narrow nuclear states which have been tested experimentally to verify the exponential decay law, we conclude that the large time power law in particle and nuclear decay is hard to find experimentally.
After reviewing the description of an unstable state in the framework of Lee Hamiltonians (valid both for Quantum Mechanics (QM) and Quantum Field Theory (QFT)), we consider some theoretical aspects of non-exponential decays: the case of two decay channels, the broadening of the energy spectrum at short times, the effect of an imperfect measurement, the link to QFT, and the decay of an unstable moving particle with definite momentum. All the presented effects were not confirmed in experiments, hence are at the present stage predictions.
The time evolution of quantum states for unstable particles can be conveniently divided into three domains: the very short time where Zeno's paradox is relevant, the intermediate interval where the exponential decay holds more or less, and the very long time where the decay is governed by a power law. In this work, we reexamine several questions relating to the deviations from the simple exponential decay law. On the basis of general considerations, we demonstrate that deviations from exponential decay near t=0t=0t=0 are inevitable. We formulate general resonance models for the decay. From analytic solutions to specific narrow-width models, we estimate the time parameters T1{T}_{1}T1​ and T2{T}_{2}T2​ separating the three domains. The parameter T1{T}_{1}T1​ is found to be much much less than the lifetime ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, while T2{T}_{2}T2​ is much greater than the lifetime. For instance, for the charged pion decay, ${T}_{1}\ensuremath{\sim}\frac{{10}^{\ensuremath{-}14}}{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ and ${T}_{2}\ensuremath{\sim}\frac{190}{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$. A resolution of Zeno's paradox provided by the present consideration and its limitaions are discussed.