74,648 research outputs found
Survival and Nonescape Probabilities for Resonant and Nonresonant Decay
In this paper we study the time evolution of the decay process for a particle
confined initially in a finite region of space, extending our analysis given
recently (Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 337 (1995)). For this purpose, we solve exactly
the time-dependent Schroedinger equation for a finite-range potential. We
calculate and compare two quantities: (i) the survival probability S(t), i.e.,
the probability that the particle is in the initial state after a time t; and
(ii) the nonescape probability P(t), i.e., the probability that the particle
remains confined inside the potential region after a time t. We analyze in
detail the resonant and nonresonant decay. In the former case, after a very
short time, S(t) and P(t) decay exponentially, but for very long times they
decay as a power law, albeit with different exponents. For the nonresonant case
we obtain that both quantities differ initially. However, independently of the
resonant and nonresonant character of the initial state we always find a
transition to the ground state of the system which indicates a process of
``loss of memory'' in the decay.Comment: 26 pages, RevTex file, figures available upon request from
[email protected] (To be published in Annals of Physics
Role of resonances in rho^0 -> pi^+ pi^- gamma
We study the effect of the sigma(600) and a_1(1260) resonances in the rho^0
-> pi^+ pi^- gamma decay, within the meson dominance model. Major effects are
driven by the mass and width parameters of the sigma(600), and the usually
neglected contribution of the a_1(1260), although small by itself, may become
sizable through its interference with pion bremsstrahlung, and the proper
relative sign can favor the central value of the experimental branching ratio.
We present a procedure, using the gauge invariant structure of the resonant
amplitudes, to kinematically enhance the resonant effects in the angular and
energy distribution of the photon. We also elaborate on the coupling constants
involved.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in PR
The potential of the variable DA white dwarf G117-B15A as a tool for Fundamental Physics
White dwarfs are well studied objects. The relative simplicity of their
physics allows to obtain very detailed models which can be ultimately compared
with their observed properties. Among white dwarfs there is a specific class of
stars, known as ZZ-Ceti objects, which have a hydrogen-rich envelope and show
periodic variations in their light curves. G117-B15A belongs to this particular
set of stars. The luminosity variations have been successfully explained as due
to g-mode pulsations. G117-B15A has been recently claimed to be the most stable
optical clock ever found, being the rate of change of its 215.2 s period very
small: \dot{P}= (2.3 +- 1.4)x10^{-15} s s^-1, with a stability comparable to
that of the most stable millisecond pulsars. The rate of change of the period
is closely related to its cooling timescale, which can be accurately computed.
In this paper we study the pulsational properties of G117-B15A and we use the
observed rate of change of the period to impose constraints on the axion
emissivity and, thus, to obtain a preliminary upper bound to the mass of the
axion. This upper bound turns out to be 4cos^{2}{\beta} meV at the 95%
confidence level. Although there are still several observational and
theoretical uncertainties, we conclude that G117-B15A is a very promising
stellar object to set up constraints on particle physics.Comment: 32 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in New Astronom
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