Particle decay in false vacuum

We revisit the problem of decay of a metastable vacuum induced by the presence of a particle. For the bosons of the `master field' the problem is solved in any number of dimensions in terms of the spontaneous decay rate of the false vacuum, while for a fermion we find a closed expression for the decay rate in (1+1) dimensions. It is shown that in the (1+1) dimensional case an infrared problem of one-loop correction to the decay rate of a boson is resolved due to a cancellation between soft modes of the field. We also find the boson decay rate in the `sine-Gordon staircase' model in the limits of strong and weak coupling.Comment: 19 pages, 2 figure

Reconciling the X(3872) with the near-threshold enhancement in the D^0\bar{D}^{*0} final state

We investigate the enhancement in the D^0\bar{D}^0\pi^0 final state with the mass M=3875.2\pm 0.7^{+0.3}_{-1.6}\pm 0.8 MeV found recently by the Belle Collaboration in the B\to K D^0\bar{D}^0\pi^0 decay and test the possibility that this is yet another manifestation of the well-established resonance X(3872). We perform a combined Flatte analysis of the data for the D^0\bar{D}^0\pi^0 mode, and for the \pi^+\pi^- J/\psi mode of the X(3872). Only if the X(3872) is a virtual state in the D^0\bar{D}^{*0} channel, the data on the new enhancement comply with those on the X(3872). In our fits, the mass distribution in the D^0\bar{D}^{*0} mode exhibits a peak at 2-3 MeV above the D^0\bar{D}^{*0} threshold, with a distinctive non-Breit-Wigner shape.Comment: RevTeX4, 17 pages, some references updated and corrected, version published in Phys. Rev.

Three-body DDˉπD\bar{D}\pi dynamics for the X(3872)

We investigate the role played by the three-body $D\bar{D}\pi$ dynamics on the near-threshold resonance X(3872) charmonium state, which is assumed to be formed by nonperturbative $D\bar D^*$ dynamics. It is demonstrated that, as compared to the naive static-pions approximation, the imaginary parts that originate from the inclusion of dynamical pions reduce substantially the width from the $D\bar{D}\pi$ intermediate state. In particular, for a resonance peaked at 0.5 MeV below the $D^0\bar D^{*0}$ threshold, this contribution to the width is reduced by about a factor of 2, and the effect of the pion dynamics on the width grows as long as the resonance is shifted towards the $D^0\bar{D^0}\pi^0$ threshold. Although the physical width of the $X$ is dominated by inelastic channels, our finding should still be of importance for the $X$ line shapes in the $D\bar{D}\pi$ channel below $D{\bar D}^*$ threshold. For example, in the scattering length approximation, the imaginary part of the scattering length includes effects of all the pion dynamics and does not only stem from the $D^*$ width. Meanwhile, we find that another important quantity for the $X$ phenomenology, the residue at the $X$ pole, is weakly sensitive to dynamical pions. In particular, we find that the binding energy dependence of this quantity from the full calculation is close to that found from a model with pointlike $D\bar D^*$ interactions only, consistent with earlier claims. Coupled-channel effects (inclusion of the charged $D\bar{D}^*$ channel) turn out to have a moderate impact on the results.Comment: 34 pages, 6 figures, version to appear in Phys.Rev.

Power Counting and Perturbative One Pion Exchange in Heavy Meson Molecules

We discuss the possible power counting schemes that can be applied in the effective field theory description of heavy meson molecules, such as the X(3872) or the recently discovered Zb(10610) and Zb(10650) states. We argue that the effect of coupled channels is suppressed by at least two orders in the effective field theory expansion, meaning that they can be safely ignored at lowest order. The role of the one pion exchange potential between the heavy mesons, and in particular the tensor force, is also analyzed. By using techniques developed in atomic physics for handling power-law singular potentials, which have been also successfully employed in nuclear physics, we determine the range of center-of-mass momenta for which the tensor piece of the one pion exchange potential is perturbative. In this momentum range, the one pion exchange potential can be considered a subleading order correction, leaving at lowest order a very simple effective field theory consisting only on contact-range interactions.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figur

Dirac neutrino magnetic moment and the shock wave revival in a supernova explosion

The process of the two-step conversion of the neutrino helicity, $\nu_L \to \nu_R \to \nu_L$, is analysed in the supernova conditions, where the first stage is realized due to the interaction of the neutrino magnetic moment with the plasma electrons and protons in the supernova core. The second stage is caused by the neutrino resonant spin-flip in a magnetic field of the supernova envelope. Given the neutrino magnetic moment within the interval $10^{-13} \mu_{\rm B} < \mu_\nu < 10^{-12} \mu_{\rm B}$, and with the existence of the magnetic field at the scale $\sim 10^{13}$ G between the neutrinosphere and the shock-wave stagnation region, it is shown that an additional energy of the order of $10^{51}$ erg can be injected into this region during the typical time of the shock-wave stagnation. This energy could be sufficient for stumulation of the damped shock wave.Comment: 6 pages, LaTeX, 2 PS figures, based on the talk presented by N.V. Mikheev at the XV International Seminar Quarks'2008, Sergiev Posad, Moscow Region, May 23-29, 2008, to appear in the Proceeding

Catalyzed decay of false vacuum in four dimensions

The probability of destruction of a metastable vacuum state by the field of a highly virtual particle with energy $E$ is calculated for a (3+1) dimensional theory in the leading WKB approximation in the thin-wall limit. It is found that the induced nucleation rate of bubbles, capable of expansion, is exponentially small at any energy. The negative exponential power in the rate reaches its maximum at the energy, corresponding to the top of the barrier in the bubble energy, where it is a finite fraction of the same power in the probability of the spontaneous decay of the false vacuum, i.e. at $E=0$.Comment: 9 pages (standard LaTeX)+ 3 figures (one figure in LaTeX, two are appended in PostScript). TPI-MINN-92/31-

Dirac-Neutrino Magnetic Moment and the Dynamics of a Supernova Explosion

The double conversion of the neutrino helicity $\nu_L \to \nu_R \to \nu_L$ has been analyzed for supernova conditions, where the first stage is due to the interaction of the neutrino magnetic moment with plasma electrons and protons in the supernova core, and the second stage, due to the resonance spin flip of the neutrino in the magnetic field of the supernova envelope. It is shown that, in the presence of the neutrino magnetic moment in the range $10^{-13} \mu_{\rm B} < \mu_\nu < 10^{-12} \mu_{\rm B}$ and a magnetic field of $\sim 10^{13}$ G between the neutrinosphere and the shock-stagnation region, an additional energy of about $10^{51}$ erg, which is sufficient for a supernova explosion, can be injected into this region during a typical shock-stagnation time.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, 4 EPS figures, accepted to JETP Letter