Unstable states in quantum theory

作者：Kuksa V I^*

来源：Physics of Particles and Nuclei, 2014, 45(3): 568-608.

DOI：10.1134/S106377961403006X

Various approaches to the problem of describing unstable particles are reviewed. Fundamental problems that arise in quantum field description of these particles and the ways of their solution are considered. Among them, there is an approach related to the notion of the smeared (continuous) mass, which originates from the finite lifetime of unstable particles. The quantum field model of unstable particles with smeared mass, which is built upon two basic axiomatic elements, is considered in detail. The basic processes with unstable particles (decay and scattering) are considered within the framework of the model and the formalism for describing physical characteristics of those processes is developed. The model is successfully applied to describing the processes of pair and triple boson production at the linear collider, top quark pair production, and certain hadronic decays. Based on this model, the factorization method is developed, which allows a description of complicated and multistep scattering and decay processes with unstable particles to be considerably simplified.

• 出版日期2014-5