Neutron-antineutron oscillation accompanied by CP-violation in magnetic fields

Abstract

In this work, we explore the possibility of the $n$-$\bar{n}$ oscillation accompanied by CP-violation in the presence of magnetic fields. The $n$-$\bar{n}$ oscillation, which violates the baryon number ($\mathcal{B}$) by two units ($|Δ\mathcal{B}| = 2$), can be originated from the mixing between the neutron ($n$) and the neutral elementary particle ($η$) and may give rise to non-trivial effects that are different from previous theoretical predictions. We show that the probability of the $n$-$\bar{n}$ oscillation can be greatly enhanced by adjusting the magnetic field properly. In particular, the peak values of the oscillation probability in the presence of resonance magnetic fields can be $8$-$10$ orders of magnitude higher than that in the absence of magnetic fields. We point out that there might not be sizable CP-violating effects in the $n$-$\bar{n}$ oscillation unless the mass of $η$ is close to the mass of the neutron. We also analyze the interplay between various parameters associated with both $\mathcal{B}$-violation and CP-violation and attempt to disentangle the effects of such parameters. The $n$-$\bar{n}$ oscillation process accompanied by CP-violation may open a promising avenue for exploring new physics beyond the Standard Model (SM).