Vacuum muon decay and interaction with laser pulses

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: King, B., Liu, D.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author King, B.
Liu, D.
author_facet King, B.
Liu, D.
contents Muons decay in vacuum mainly via the leptonic channel to an electron, a muon neutrino and an electron antineutrino. Previous investigations have concluded that muon decay can only be significantly altered in a strong electromagnetic field when the muonic strong-field parameter is of order unity, which is far beyond the reach of lab-based experiments at current and planned facilities. In this letter, an alternative mechanism is presented in which a laser pulse affects the vacuum decay rate of a muon outside the pulse. Quantum interference between the muon decaying with or without interacting with the pulse generates fringes in the electron momentum spectra and can increase the muon lifetime by up to a factor 2. The required parameters to observe this effect are available in experiments today.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_16891
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Vacuum muon decay and interaction with laser pulses
King, B.
Liu, D.
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Muons decay in vacuum mainly via the leptonic channel to an electron, a muon neutrino and an electron antineutrino. Previous investigations have concluded that muon decay can only be significantly altered in a strong electromagnetic field when the muonic strong-field parameter is of order unity, which is far beyond the reach of lab-based experiments at current and planned facilities. In this letter, an alternative mechanism is presented in which a laser pulse affects the vacuum decay rate of a muon outside the pulse. Quantum interference between the muon decaying with or without interacting with the pulse generates fringes in the electron momentum spectra and can increase the muon lifetime by up to a factor 2. The required parameters to observe this effect are available in experiments today.
title Vacuum muon decay and interaction with laser pulses
topic High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.16891