Types of Particle Oscillations and Their Realizations in Neutral K Meson and Neutrino Oscillations

TL;DR

This paper analyzes particle oscillations, particularly neutral K mesons and neutrinos, revealing the nature of the oscillation width, the existence of real and virtual oscillations, and the two-stage process involving state creation and superposition formation.

Contribution

It provides a unified theoretical framework for understanding the origin of mixing angles and the two-stage oscillation process in neutral K mesons and neutrinos, including the distinction between real and virtual oscillations.

Findings

Oscillation width equals the transition rate between particle states.

Two types of oscillations: real and virtual.

Oscillations proceed via a two-stage process involving state creation and superposition.

Abstract

Two particle vacuum transitions (oscillations) are studied in the general case. We found that: 1) a nondiagonal mass term characterising oscillations is the width of two particle transitions into each other (this width can be computed by the standard method); 2) two types of oscillations take place: real and virtual. Solution of the problem of origin of mixing angle in the theory of vacuum oscillations is given. It is shown that neutral K meson and neutrino oscillations must proceed via two stages. First, neutral K^{o}, antineutral K-eigenstates of strong interaction (or nu(e), nu(mu), nu(tau) eigenstates of weak interactions) are created. Then, owing to the presence of the strangeness violating weak interaction (or the lepton number violating interactions), these meson states (or neutrino states) are converted into superpositions of neutral K(1) and neutral K(2)-eigenstates of the weak interaction violating strangeness (or nu(1), nu(2), nu(3)-eigenstates of the interaction-violating lepton numbers). Further, neutral K-meson or neutrino oscillations will occur in accordance with the standard scheme.