Formal aspects of quantum decay

Abstract

The Fock-Krylov formalism for the calculation of survival probabilities of unstable states is revisited paying particular attention to the mathematical constraints on the density of states, the Fourier transform of which gives the survival amplitude. We show that it is not possible to construct a density of states corresponding to a purely exponential survival amplitude. The survival probability $P(t)$ and the autocorrelation function of the density of states are shown to form a pair of cosine Fourier transforms. This result is a particular case of the Wiener-Khinchin theorem and forces $P(t)$ to be an even function of time which in turn forces the density of states to contain a form factor which vanishes at large energies. Subtle features of the transition regions from the nonexponential to the exponential at small times and the exponential to the power-law decay at large times are discussed by expressing $P(t)$ as a function of the number of oscillations $n$ performed by it. The transition at short times is shown to occur when the survival probability has completed one oscillation. The number of oscillations depends on the properties of the resonant state and a complete description of the evolution of the unstable state is provided by determining the limits on the number of oscillations in each region.