Limits on $\boldmath n {\bar n}$ oscillations from nuclear stability

TL;DR

This paper clarifies the relationship between nuclear stability limits and neutron-antineutron oscillation times, providing an order-of-magnitude estimate consistent with nuclear physics but contradicting recent claims.

Contribution

It introduces a simple unitarity-respecting model to relate nuclear stability to neutron-antineutron oscillation times, clarifying previous misunderstandings.

Findings

Estimated neutron-antineutron oscillation time > 2 x 10^8 seconds.

Order-of-magnitude estimate aligns with detailed nuclear physics calculations.

Contradicts a recent claim by 15 orders of magnitude.

Abstract

The relationship between the lower limit on the nuclear stability lifetime as derived from the non disappearance of `stable` nuclei ($T_{d}~\gtrsim~5.4~\times~10^{31}$ yr), and the lower limit thus implied on the oscillation time $(\tau_{n \bar n})$ of a possibly underlying neutron-antineutron oscillation process, is clarified by studying the time evolution of the nuclear decay within a simple model which respects unitarity. The order-of-magnitude result $\tau_{n \bar n} \approx 2 (T_{d}/\Gamma_{\bar n})^{1/2} > 2 \times 10^{8}$ sec, where $\Gamma_{\bar n}$ is a typical $\bar n$ nuclear annihilation width, agrees as expected with the limit on $\tau_{n \bar n}$ established by several detailed nuclear physics calculations, but sharply disagreeing by 15 orders of magnitude with a claim published recently in Phys. Rev. CRAP.