6 research outputs found
Bound-state beta-decay of a neutron in a strong magnetic field
The beta-decay of a neutron into a bound state and an antineutrino
in the presence of a strong uniform magnetic field ( G) is
considered. The beta-decay process is treated within the framework of the
standard model of weak interactions. A Bethe-Salpeter formalism is employed for
description of the bound system in a strong magnetic field. For the
field strengths G G the estimate for the
ratio of the bound-state decay rate and the usual (continuum-state) decay
rate is derived. It is found that in such strong magnetic fields . This is in contrast to the field-free case, where [J. N. Bahcall, Phys. Rev. {\bf 124}, 495 (1961); L.
L. Nemenov, Sov. J. Nucl. Phys. {\bf 15}, 582 (1972); X. Song, J. Phys. G:
Nucl. Phys. {\bf 13}, 1023 (1987)]. The dependence of the ratio on
the magnetic field strength exhibits a logarithmic-like behavior. The
obtained results can be important for applications in astrophysics and
cosmology.Comment: 22 pages (revtex4), 1 figure; v2: more detailed discussion on
astrophysical applications in conclusion section, accepted for publication in
Phys. Rev.