Past exam of the particle physics course of the University of Oxford / 2017 / 2 / a / Solution

The squared invariant amplitude weights each accessible final configuration. The final on-shell momentum measure counts the available states, and the four-dimensional delta function imposes energy and momentum conservation:To prove its Lorentz invariance for proper orthochronous transformations, writeThe four-volume measure has unit Lorentz Jacobian, $p^2$ is invariant, and the future mass shell is preserved. Likewise ${\delta }^{(4)}(\Lambda Q)={\delta }^{(4)}(Q)$ because $|\det \Lambda |=1$. The product therefore proves that $d{\Phi }_n$ is invariant. Spin averages and sums belong in the amplitude as appropriate; identical final particles require a symmetry divisor if the integration covers a fully labelled phase space.

The initial $1/(2E_i)$ factors come from relativistic normalization of the incoming states. They are not individually invariant, so the displayed coordinate-time transition rate must not be called a Lorentz scalar merely because its final phase space is invariant. A one-particle decay has proper width ${\Gamma }_0=(2M_0{)}^{-1}\int |\mathcal{M}{|}^{2}d{\Phi }_n$ in its rest frame, while its laboratory rate is ${\Gamma }_{\mathrm{lab}}=(M_0/E_0){\Gamma }_0$. A scattering cross section instead uses the invariant incident flux $4\sqrt{(p_1\cdot p_2{)}^2-m_1^2{m}_2^2}$. This distinguishes invariance of phase space from transformation of a measured rate.