Precision Theoretical Analysis of Neutron Radiative Beta Decay to Order "O(\alpha^2/\pi^2)"

TL;DR

This paper provides a precise theoretical calculation of neutron radiative beta decay rates within the Standard Model, including higher-order radiative corrections, and compares results with recent experimental data.

Contribution

It offers a detailed calculation of decay rates to order O(α^2/π^2) and analyzes the impact of hadronic interactions on the decay amplitude, advancing the theoretical understanding.

Findings

Decay rate calculated to order O(α^2/π^2) with ~10^{-5} accuracy

Results agree with experimental data within 1.5 standard deviations

Strong low-energy hadronic interactions significantly influence decay amplitude

Abstract

In the Standard Model (SM) we calculate the decay rate of the neutron radiative beta decay to order "O(\alpha^2/\pi^2 ~ 10^{-5})", where "\alpha$"is the fine--structure constant, and radiative corrections to order "O(\alpha/\pi ~ 10^{-3})". The obtained results together with the recent analysis of the neutron radiative beta decay to next-to-leading order in the large proton-mass expansion, performed by Ivanov et al. Phys. Rev. D95, 033007 (2017), describe recent experimental data by the RDK II Collaboration (Bales et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 242501 (2016)) within 1.5 standard deviations. We argue a substantial influence of strong low-energy interactions of hadrons coupled to photons on the properties of the amplitude of the neutron radiative beta decay under gauge transformations of real and virtual photons.