# Baryon-number violation by two units and the deuteron lifetime

## TL;DR

This paper calculates the deuteron lifetime due to baryon-number violating operators, providing a more precise estimate that influences experimental bounds and explores how combined measurements can identify baryon-number violation sources.

## Contribution

It develops an effective field theory for || interactions causing neutron-antineutron oscillations and dinucleon decay, with an analytical calculation of the deuteron lifetime ratio.

## Key findings

- Deuteron lifetime estimate is smaller by a factor of ~2.5 than previous models.
- Quantified uncertainty in the lifetime calculation.
- Implications for experimental bounds on neutron-antineutron oscillations.

## Abstract

We calculate the lifetime of the deuteron with dimension-nine quark operators that violate baryon number by two units. We construct an effective field theory for $|\Delta B|=2$ interactions that give rise to neutron-antineutron ($n$-$\bar{n}$) oscillations and dinucleon decay within a consistent power counting. We calculate the ratio of the deuteron lifetime to the square of the $n$-$\bar{n}$ oscillation time up to next-to-leading order. Our result, which is analytical and has a quantified uncertainty, is smaller by a factor $\simeq 2.5$ than earlier estimates based on nuclear models, which impacts the indirect bound on he $n$-$\bar{n}$ oscillation time and future experiments. We discuss how combined measurements of $n$-$\bar{n}$ oscillations and deuteron decay can help to identify the sources of baryon-number violation.