Phenomenology of Neutron-Antineutron Conversion

We consider the possibility of neutron-antineutron (n−n¯) conversion, in which the change of a neutron into an antineutron is mediated by an external source, as can occur in a scattering process. We develop the connections between n−n¯ conversion and n−n¯ oscillation, in which a neutron spontaneously transforms into an antineutron, noting that if n−n¯ oscillation occurs in a theory with baryon number minus lepton number (B-L) violation, then n−n¯ conversion can occur also. We show how an experimental limit on n−n¯ conversion could connect concretely to a limit on n−n¯ oscillation, and vice versa, using effective field theory techniques and baryon matrix elements computed in the MIT bag model