NEUTRON BETA DECAY IN A STRONG MAGNETIC FIELD

The decay of a neutron in a strong quantizing magnetic field is studied by making use of the exact Dirac wave function for the electron in a magnetic field of arbitrary strength. The general conclusion is that the lifetime is unaffected by the magnetic field for H<1012 G. For H>1012 G, the lifetime in a vacuum is appreciably decreased. This conclusion is still valid when the decay takes place in a degenerate electron gas at densities lower than 106 g/cm3. At higher densities, the lifetime in a magnetic field tends to reach the value in the absence of the field, for any field strength. © 1969 The American Physical Society.