Observations on unstable quantons, hyperplane dependence and quantum fields

There is persistent heterodoxy in the physics literature concerning the proper treatment of those quantons that are unstable against spontaneous decay. Following a brief litany of this heterodoxy, I develop some of the consequences of assuming that such quantons can exist, undecayed and isolated, at definite times and that their Lorentz covariant treatment can be carried out within a standard quantum theoretic state space. This assumption requires hyperplane dependence for the unstable quanton states and leads to clarification of some recent results concerning deviations from relativistic time dilation of decay lifetimes. In the course of the discussion I make some observations on the relationship of unstable quantons to quantum fields.

Research highlights
► I discuss the existing variety of conflicting viewpoints concerning the foundations of unstable quanton theory.
► I exploit the hyperplane dependence of unstable quanton states to analyze the decay process.
► I discuss contrasts between the relationships of quantum fields to stable and unstable quanton states.
► I criticize the “contracting lifetime” derivations of Shirokov and Hegerfeldt.