DECAY OF SPIN-ONE PARTICLE INTO TWO PHOTONS IN PRESENCE OF UNIFORM EXTERNAL MAGNETIC FIELD

Abstract

Yang's theorem states that an initial J = 1 state cannot decay into two photons. Because of this result some reactions relating to elementary particles or atomic transitions can be ruled out. The theorem is not valid in the presence of background electric or magnetic fields. In this work we show that the decay of a J = 1 particle into two photons is permitted by the Bose symmetry and rotational invariance when the background of the decay process is not pure vacuum but contains an external classical magnetic/electric field. We also discuss constraints on these amplitudes from the CP invariance.