Role of neutrino mixing in accelerated proton decay

TL;DR

This paper investigates how neutrino mixing affects the consistency of proton decay rates in accelerated frames, demonstrating that under certain assumptions, the agreement between different frame calculations can be maintained.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis showing that neutrino mixing does not necessarily spoil the equivalence of decay rates in different frames under specific assumptions.

Findings

Neutrino mixing can be compatible with the equivalence of decay rates.

The Fulling-Davies-Unruh effect remains essential for quantum field theory consistency.

Agreement between frames can be restored assuming flavor neutrinos are fundamental.

Abstract

The inverse beta decay of accelerated protons has been analyzed both in the laboratory frame (where the proton is accelerated) and in the comoving frame (where the proton is at rest and interacts with the Fulling-Davies-Unruh thermal bath of electrons and neutrinos). The equality between the two rates has been exhibited as an evidence of the necessity of Fulling-Davies-Unruh effect for the consistency of Quantum Field Theory formalism. Recently, it has been argued that neutrino mixing can spoil such a result, potentially opening new scenarios in neutrino physics. In the present paper, we analyze in detail this problem and we find that, assuming flavor neutrinos to be fundamental and working within a certain approximation, the agreement can be restored.