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Finite-temperature modification of heavy particle decay and dark matter annihilation
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology · Submitted 13 Jul 2016
abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review
The authors' main claim This allows us to explain two interesting observations made before: a) that the leading thermal correction to the decay width of a charged particle is the same multiplicative factor of the zero-temperature width for a two-body decay and muon decay, and b) that the leading thermal correction to fermionic dark matter annihilation arises only at order T^4/m_chi^4.
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The paper's own sentences, arranged. Each label is drawn from a closed vocabulary; the number beside it is the probability the classifier gave that label. Numbers in the tables are the authors', checked by code. No sentence in this record was written by a model.
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The abstract, sentence by sentence
We apply the operator product expansion (OPE) technique to the decay and annihilation of heavy particles in a thermal medium with temperature below the heavy particle mass, m_chi. This allows us to explain two interesting observations made before: a) that the leading thermal correction to the decay width of a charged particle is the same multiplicative factor of the zero-temperature width for a two-body decay and muon decay, and b) that the leading thermal correction to fermionic dark matter annihilation arises only at order T^4/m_chi^4. The OPE further considerably simplifies the computation and factorizes it into model-independent matrix elements in the thermal background, and short-distance coefficients to be computed in zero-temperature field theory.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | We apply the operator product expansion (OPE) technique to the decay and annihilation of heavy particles in a thermal medium with temperature below the heavy particle mass, m_chi. | method 0.77 | 0.93 | 0.07 | asserted 0.98 |
| s1 | This allows us to explain two interesting observations made before: a) that the leading thermal correction to the decay width of a charged particle is the same multiplicative factor of the zero-temperature width for a two-body decay and muon decay, and b) that the leading thermal correction to fermionic dark matter annihilation arises only at order T^4/m_chi^4. | result 0.51 | 0.32 | 0.48 | asserted 0.99 |
| s2 | The OPE further considerably simplifies the computation and factorizes it into model-independent matrix elements in the thermal background, and short-distance coefficients to be computed in zero-temperature field theory. | method 0.39 | 0.84 | 0.22 | asserted 1.00 |
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The paper
Original abstract
We apply the operator product expansion (OPE) technique to the decay and annihilation of heavy particles in a thermal medium with temperature below the heavy particle mass, m_chi. This allows us to explain two interesting observations made before: a) that the leading thermal correction to the decay width of a charged particle is the same multiplicative factor of the zero-temperature width for a two-body decay and muon decay, and b) that the leading thermal correction to fermionic dark matter annihilation arises only at order T^4/m_chi^4. The OPE further considerably simplifies the computation and factorizes it into model-independent matrix elements in the thermal background, and short-distance coefficients to be computed in zero-temperature field theory.
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References
How the literature uses it
5 arXiv papers cite this in 7 sentences
Papers citing it · 5 sentences without a confident label
Cites it as support 1 paper
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Considering that thermal correction to the relic density is only proportional to $O(T^4)$ [ref] , the result of loop calculation at the zero-temperature is credible.
Neutrino Portal via Loops · Introduction · 0.97
What it cites · 21 sentences without a confident label
Uses the method or tool of 1 paper
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In the case of particle decay this treatment is inspired by, and in many ways very similar to, the OPE of inclusive heavy quark decay in QCD [ref] .
Nonperturbative Corrections to Inclusive Beauty and Charm Decays: QCD versus Phenomenological Models · Introduction · 0.80
Compares with 2 papers
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Γ_T = Γ_0 1 - π/3αq^2 τ^2 + τ^3 , in complete agreement with [ref] .
Charged-Particle Decay at Finite Temperature · Charged particle decay at finite temperature · 0.90
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In [ref] the corresponding and further results were obtained in the same model except for the Majorana nature of the dark matter particle, which involves further diagrams and leads to a suppressed zero-temperature cross section in the S-wave limit $e_χ=1$.
Relic density computations at NLO: infrared finiteness and thermal correction · Dark matter annihilation · 0.89
Cites as background 2 papers
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We note that OPE methods have been developed systematically before for thermal field theory in the QCD context for SVZ sum rules at finite temperature [ref] , and for the study of more general spectral functions in the low-energy QCD plasma [ref] .
Asymptotics of thermal spectral functions · Introduction · 0.88
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We note that OPE methods have been developed systematically before for thermal field theory in the QCD context for SVZ sum rules at finite temperature [ref] , and for the study of more general spectral functions in the low-energy QCD plasma [ref] .
Operator product expansion at finite temperature · Introduction · 0.88
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