Lifetime of ([ital e][sup +][ital e[minus]]) puzzle's composite particle: No valid limits yet

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Physical Review, C (Nuclear Physics); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.47.351· OSTI ID:6882171

Griffin, J J ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States)

Several recent articles assert that the increasingly precise null results of Bhabha scattering imply model-independent'' increasing lower bounds upon the lifetime of any neutral particle whose decay is hypothesized to yield the sharp lines of the GSI ([ital e][sup +][ital e[minus]]) puzzle.'' We discuss here reasons why such conclusions must be considered as artifacts of the assumptions made in the analysis, and not as valid scientific deductions from the data alone. Furthermore, we show that when such data are combined with additional assumptions sufficient to allow an inference about the lifetime, then the conclusion is inevitably dependent explicitly or implicitly upon the model assumed for the particle decay. In addition, we discuss why the limits asserted upon the lifetime of such a particle from the high precision agreement for [ital g][sub [ital e]][minus]2 between experiment and theoretical quantum electrodynamics apply only to an elementary particle, but not to a composite particle, and especially not to a leptonic composite. In the end, no valid limits upon the composite particle lifetime seems to exist at present. We also consider, in the context of the general partial width data problem, the additional experimental data which could suffice to sustain a purely empirical limit upon the lifetime, and observe that all of the present data are consistent with a composite particle with a significant amplitude in the four lepton ([ital e][sup +][ital e+][ital e[minus]][ital e[minus]]) quadronium'' sector. Finally, it is shown that recent preliminary Bhabha inelastic ([ital e][sup +][ital e+][gamma]) data, if confirmed, would imply the crude but genuinely empirical upper bound upon the resonance lifetime of about [tau][sub max][similar to]2[times]10[sup [minus]11] sec[ge][tau].

• DOE Contract Number: FG05-87ER40322
• OSTI ID: 6882171
• Journal Information: Physical Review, C (Nuclear Physics); (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, C (Nuclear Physics); (United States) Vol. 47:1; ISSN 0556-2813; ISSN PRVCAN
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

663300 -- Nuclear Reactions & Scattering
General-- (1992-)
663450* -- Heavy-Ion-Induced Reactions & Scattering-- (1992-)
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ANTILEPTONS
ANTIMATTER
ANTIPARTICLES
BHABHA SCATTERING
CHARGED-PARTICLE REACTIONS
ELASTIC SCATTERING
ELECTRODYNAMICS
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
FIELD THEORIES
HEAVY ION REACTIONS
INTERACTIONS
LEPTONS
LIFETIME
MATTER
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
PAIR PRODUCTION
PARTICLE PRODUCTION
POSITRONIUM
POSITRONS
QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
RESONANCE
SCATTERING