Decay rates of unstable particles and the extreme energy cosmic rays top-down scenarios
Abstract
We provide a unified formula for the quantum decay rate of heavy objects (particles) whatever they may be: topological and nontopological solitons, X particles, cosmic defects, microscopic black holes, fundamental strings, as well as the particle decays in the standard model. Extreme energy cosmic ray (EECR) top-down scenarios are based on relics from the early Universe. The key point in the top-down scenarios is the necessity to adjust the lifetime of the heavy object to the age of the Universe. This ad hoc requirement needs a very high dimensional operator to govern its decay and/or an extremely small coupling constant. The arguments produced to fine-tune the relic lifetime to the age of the Universe are critically analyzed. The natural lifetimes of such heavy objects are, however, microscopic times associated with the grand unified theory energy scale (∼10-28 sec or shorter). It is at this energy scale (by the end of inflation) that they could have been abundantly formed in the early Universe, and it seems natural that they decayed shortly after being formed. The annihilation scenario for EECRs (“wimpzillas”) is also considered and its inconsistencies analyzed.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review D
- Pub Date:
- June 2003
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevD.67.125019
- arXiv:
- arXiv:hep-ph/0202249
- Bibcode:
- 2003PhRvD..67l5019D
- Keywords:
-
- 11.10.St;
- 11.27.+d;
- 98.70.Sa;
- Bound and unstable states;
- Bethe-Salpeter equations;
- Extended classical solutions;
- cosmic strings domain walls texture;
- Cosmic rays;
- High Energy Physics - Phenomenology;
- Astrophysics;
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology;
- High Energy Physics - Theory
- E-Print:
- 11 pages, LaTex, no figures, updated version