How fast can protons decay?

Hooman Davoudiasl; Peter B. Denton

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arXiv · 2410.19045

How fast can protons decay?

Hooman Davoudiasl·Peter B. Denton

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Abstract

Current laboratory bounds imply that protons are extremely long-lived. However, this conclusion may not hold for all time and in all of space. We find that the proton lifetime can be $\sim 15$ orders of magnitude shorter in the relatively recent past on Earth, or at the present time elsewhere in the Milky Way. A number of terrestrial and astrophysical constraints are examined and potential signals are outlined. We also sketch possible models that could lead to spatial or temporal variations in the proton lifetime. A positive signal could be compelling evidence for a new long range force of Nature, with important implications for the limitations of fundamental inferences based solely on laboratory measurements.

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Hooman Davoudiasl, Peter B. Denton. 2024-10-24. How fast can protons decay?. https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.19045

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