Ditauonium spectroscopy

Abstract

Abstract We examine the properties of ditauonium, an exotic atom consisting of a pair of opposite-sign $$\tau $$ τ leptons bound together by the quantum electrodynamics (QED) interaction in a hydrogen-like state. The energy levels, decay modes and associated partial widths, as well as total widths and lifetimes of the ortho- and para-ditauonium states are calculated. Higher-order QED effects – including Lamb shifts, hyperfine splitting structure, and partial decay widths corrections – are incorporated up to approximately next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) accuracy. Beyond the dominant diphoton and difermion decays, the rates of rare decay channels – including Dalitz, radiative, triple-photon, double-Dalitz, four-fermion, and neutrinos final states – are determined.