A Constraint to the Parity-Conserving Parameter of the Neutron-Antineutron Oscillations

Abstract

The phenomenology of neutrino oscillations is extended to the neutron- antineutron oscillations predicted by the grand unified theories. There are six parameters in general describing the one-flavor oscillations: two real Majorana masses (of opposite signs), three Euler's angles, and a phase multiplier "chi". The sum of the Majorana masses, treated as a small parity- violating parameter "epsilon", induces the nuclear decays (A,Z) -> (A-2,Z) and determines the oscillation rate of neutrons in the vacuum. We derive a constraint to a small parity-conserving parameter "epsilon-prime" representing a combination of two Euler's angles. This parameter gives no significant contribution to the neutron oscillation rate in the vacuum, while contributes to the nuclear decay rate. The nuclear stability implies "epsilon-prime" < 1/year. Absence of the vacuum neutron oscillations together with existence of the nuclear decays (A,Z) -> (A-2,Z) would become simplest manifestation of the "epsilon-prime" =/ 0.