Chiral perturbation theory for baryon-number-violating nucleon decay into a vector meson

TL;DR

This paper develops a chiral perturbation theory framework for baryon-number-violating nucleon decays into vector mesons, enabling consistent calculations and interpretation of experimental constraints.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive chiral matching approach for triple-quark BNV interactions involving vector mesons, baryons, and pseudoscalars, filling a key theoretical gap.

Findings

Framework allows calculation of BNV nucleon decays into vector mesons.

Method can break degeneracy in Wilson coefficient parameter space.

Facilitates interpretation of experimental constraints on nucleon decay modes.

Abstract

In a recent work [New chiral structures for baryon number violating nucleon decays, arXiv:2504.14855], we identified generic baryon-number-violating (BNV) structures containing triple light quarks and achieved their leading-order chiral realizations involving octet pseudoscalars and baryons. Although many two-body nucleon decays into a vector meson have been experimentally searched for and stringently constrained, a consistent theoretical framework for their calculation is still lacking. In this Letter, we fill the gap by implementing chiral matching of all these triple-quark interactions onto hadronic interactions involving octet vector mesons, baryons, and pseudoscalars. This paves the way for a consistent and comprehensive study of all relevant BNV processes. As an illustration of application, we show how degeneracy in the parameter space of Wilson coefficients can be broken by synthesizing experimental constraints on nucleon decays into a vector or pseudoscalar meson when relevant hadronic low-energy constants can be reasonably determined.