https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-020-08824-9
Letter
A possible shortcut for neutron–antineutron oscillation through mirror world
1
Dipartimento di Fisica e Chimica, Università di L’Aquila, 67100, Coppito, L’Aquila, Italy
2
INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, 67010, Assergi, L’Aquila, Italy
a
zurab.berezhiani@aquila.infn.it
Received:
9
March
2020
Accepted:
20
November
2020
Published online:
16
January
2021
Existing bounds on the neutron-antineutron mass mixing, eV, impose a severe upper limit on
transition probability,
or so, where t is the neutron flight time. Here we propose a new mechanism of
transition which is not induced by direct mass mixing
but is mediated instead by the neutron mass mixings with the hypothetical states of mirror neutron
and mirror antineutron
. The latter can be as large as
eV or so, without contradicting present experimental limits and nuclear stability bounds. The probabilities of
and
transitions,
and
, depend on environmental conditions in mirror sector, and they can be resonantly amplified by applying the magnetic field of the proper value. This opens up a possibility of
transition with the probability
which can reach the values
or even larger. For finding this effect in real experiments, the magnetic field should not be suppressed but properly varied. These mixings can be induced by new physics at the scale of few TeV which may also originate a new low scale co-baryogenesis mechanism between ordinary and mirror sectors.
© The Author(s) 2021
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