Effective Field Theory of Protonium

Abstract

We investigate the level shifts in protonium using the framework of non-relativistic effective field theory (NREFT). Our study is prompted by the PUMA collaboration's plans to probe the neutron-to-proton ratio in the nuclear density tail using antiprotonic atoms -- a method for which light atoms provide an important benchmark. We calculate the corrections to the Deser-Goldberger-Baumann-Thirring formula for the complex level shift of S-wave states from the unitary cusp and Coulomb photon exchange. Structure dependent corrections enter at the next order. For higher-partial-wave states, they enter already at leading order. Using input from chiral NNbar interactions, we compare to other calculations and measurements from LEAR.

Comments: 7 pages, 2 figures