Journal of Physics Conference Series
Nonclassical face of quantum decay processes
K. Urbanowski
Abstract
A detailed analysis of the quantum decay processes shows the survival probability ( t ) can not take that exponential form at any time interval including times smaller than the lifetime τ . We show that for times t ∼ τ and for the times later than τ the form of ( t ) looks as a composition of an oscillating and exponential functions. The amplitude of these oscillations is very small for t ≪ τ and grows with increasing time and depends on the model considered. We also study the survival probability of moving relativistic unstable particles with definite momentum : It turns out that late time deviations of the survival probability of these particles from the exponential-like form of the decay law should occur much earlier than it follows from the classical standard approach resolving itself into replacing time t by t / γ (where γ is the relativistic Lorentz factor) in the formula for the survival probability ( t ).