Atomic Alchemy
C. Greub, D. Wyler, S. Brodsky, C. Munger
Abstract
We consider the transitions between electromagnetic bound states, such as the exclusive weak decay of a muonic atom into an electronic atom: (μ- Z) (e- Z) νe νμ. We show that relativistic effects in the atomic wavefunctions are crucial for determining the rate. In the case of heavy atoms, the exclusive channel branching ratios exceed 10-6, possibly bringing the study of these rare decays within experimental reach. Such processes thus provide a detailed laboratory for studying the high momentum tail of wavefunctions in atomic physics; in addition, they provide a simple toy model for investigating analogous exclusive heavy hadronic decays in quantum chromodynamics such as B πe ν.
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