Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2018 / iii / Paper 301 / 3 / iii / Solution

Use the Lorentz-invariant phase-space measure from the original PDF, including the $1/(2E_{p^{\prime }})$ and $1/(2E_{q^{\prime }})$ factors missing from the local TeX. In the center of mass frame put $E=\sqrt{s}/2$ and $k=\sqrt{s-4m^2}/2$, assuming $s>4m^2$. The spatial Dirac delta distribution sets ${\mathbf{q}}^{\prime }=-{\mathbf{p}}^{\prime }$, leavingSince $d(2E_{k^{\prime }})/d{k}^{\prime }=2k^{\prime }/E_{k^{\prime }}$, the radial integral givesThe invariant flux factor is $2\sqrt{\kappa (s,m^2,m^2)}=2\sqrt{s(s-4m^2)}$, using the Källén function. Dividing the phase space by this flux yields $d\sigma /d\Omega =|\mathcal{M}{|}^2/(64{\pi }^{2}s)$, with the final-state labels retained as in the printed formula.

Let $x=\cos \theta$. Of the Mandelstam variables, $t$ isThe azimuthal integral contributes $2\pi$, and the angular endpoints are thereforeChanging variables gives the requested expression from the formula supplied in the paper:There is a normalization qualification: the displayed starting formula integrates over labeled final momenta and contains no $1/2!$. For the physical cross-section of two indistinguishable outgoing quanta of this real scalar field, the identical-particle factor in a final-state phase-space integral divides the full integral by two. With that convention $X=1/(32\pi )$; equivalently, integrate only one representative of each exchanged pair. The boxed value $1/(16\pi )$ follows the given formula exactly.