English

A possible shortcut for neutron-antineutron oscillation through mirror world

High Energy Physics - Phenomenology 2021-01-21 v2 Nuclear Theory

Abstract

Existing bounds on the neutron-antineutron mass mixing, ϵnnˉ<few×1024\epsilon_{n\bar n} < {\rm few} \times 10^{-24} eV, impose a severe upper limit on nnˉn - \bar n transition probability, Pnnˉ(t)<(t/0.1 s)2×1018P_{n\bar n}(t) < (t/0.1 ~{\rm s})^2 \times 10^{-18} or so, where tt is the neutron flight time. Here we propose a new mechanism of nnˉn- \bar n transition which is not induced by direct mass mixing ϵnnˉ\epsilon_{n\bar n} but is mediated instead by the neutron mixings with the hypothetical states of mirror neutron nn' and mirror antineutron nˉ\bar{n}'. The latter can be as large as ϵnn,ϵnnˉ1015\epsilon_{nn'}, \epsilon_{n\bar{n}'} \sim 10^{-15} eV or so, without contradicting present experimental limits and nuclear stability bounds. The probabilities of nnn-n' and nnˉn-\bar{n}' transitions, PnnP_{nn'} and PnnˉP_{n\bar{n}'}, depend on environmental conditions in mirror sector, and they can be resonantly amplified by applying the magnetic field of the proper value. This opens up a possibility of nnˉn-\bar n transition with the probability PnnˉPnnPnnˉP_{n\bar n} \simeq P_{nn'} P_{n\bar{n}'} which can reach the values 108\sim 10^{-8} or even larger. For finding this effect in real experiments, the magnetic field should not be suppressed but properly varied. These mixings can be induced by new physics at the scale of few TeV which may also originate a new low scale co-baryogenesis mechanism between ordinary and mirror sectors.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2002.05609,
  title  = {A possible shortcut for neutron-antineutron oscillation through mirror world},
  author = {Zurab Berezhiani},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2002.05609},
  year   = {2021}
}

Comments

10 pages

R2 v1 2026-06-23T13:41:00.584Z