Neutral pion lifetime measurements and the QCD chiral anomaly

A. M. Bernstein and Barry R. Holstein
Rev. Mod. Phys. 85, 49 – Published 9 January 2013

Abstract

A fundamental property of QCD is the presence of the chiral anomaly, which is the dominant component of the π0γγ decay rate. Based on this anomaly and its small (4.5%) chiral correction, a prediction of the π0 lifetime can be used as a test of QCD at confinement scale energies. The interesting experimental and theoretical histories of the π0 meson are reviewed, from discovery to the present era. Experimental results are in agreement with the theoretical prediction, within the current (3%) experimental error; however, they are not yet sufficiently precise to test the chiral corrected result, which is a firm QCD prediction and is known to 1% uncertainty. At this level there exist experimental inconsistencies, which require attention. Possible future work to improve the present precision is suggested.

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  • Received 23 November 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.85.49

© 2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

A. M. Bernstein

  • Physics Department Laboratory for Nuclear Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 USA

Barry R. Holstein

  • Department of Physics LGRT, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003 USA

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Vol. 85, Iss. 1 — January - March 2013

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