Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Questioning Einstein Dilation of Unstable Quanton Lifetimes
Gordon Fleming, Penn State University, Department of Physics (Emeritus)
12:05 pm, 817R Cathedral of Learning

Abstract: I will discuss the recent claims of Shirokov and comments of Hegerfeldt concerning the lifetimes of unstable quantons. Specifically, that such lifetimes deviate from the Einstein dilation formula in their dependence on momentum or velocity. In both cases we will see that the claimed deviations are either unsurprising consequences of quantum effects or, in the case of the surprising lifetime contraction claim, a consequence of a misinterpretation of the quantum technical formalism. The general form of quanton lifetime covariance will be described.