Thursday, April 12, 2018

quantum mechanics - Proof of Yang's theorem


Yang's theorem states that a massive spin-1 particle cannot decay into a pair of identical massless spin-1 particles. The proof starts by going to the rest frame of the decaying particle, and relies on process of elimination of possible amplitude structures.


Let $\vec\epsilon_V$ be the spin vector of the decaying particle in its rest frame, and let $\vec\epsilon_1$ and $\vec\epsilon_2$ be the polarization 3-vector of the massless particles with 3-momenta $\vec{k}$ and $-\vec{k}$ respectively.


In the literature, I've seen arguments saying that


$\mathcal{M_1}\sim(\vec\epsilon_1\times\vec\epsilon_2).\vec\epsilon_V$, and $\mathcal{M_2}\sim(\vec\epsilon_1.\vec\epsilon_2)(\vec\epsilon_V.\vec{k})$ don't work because they don't respect Bose symmetry of the final state spin-1 particles.


But, why is $\mathcal{M_3}\sim(\vec\epsilon_V\times\vec\epsilon_1).\epsilon_2+(\vec\epsilon_V\times\vec\epsilon_2).\epsilon_1$ excluded? Sure, it's parity violating (if parent particle is parity even), but that's not usually a problem


Thanks



Answer




Because $\mathcal{M}_3$ as written above actually vanishes by a simple vector identity. On the first term, write


$$(\vec{\epsilon}_V\times\vec\epsilon_1).\vec\epsilon_2=(\vec\epsilon_2\times\vec\epsilon_V).\vec\epsilon_1$$


which cancels the second term.


[there goes my bounty]


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