2.3 - Leptons At Work Flashcards
What can leptons and anti-leptons react together to produce
Hadrons
What is created from a single electron and positron inhalation
produce a shower of hadrons in each direction
What are neutrinos and antineutrinos produced in beta decay different to
those produced in muon decays
what do neutrinos and antineutrinos created from muon decay create
they only create muons and no electrons when the interact with a proton and neutrons
what would happen if there was only one kind of neutrino
equal numbers of electrons and muons would be produced
what are the two different kinds of neutrinos
electron neutrino and muon neutrino
what can leptons change into other leptons through
weak interaction and can be produced or annihilated in particle - antiparticle interactions
what can leptons not do
can’t break down into non leptons as they appear to be fundamental
In an interaction between a lepton and a hadron, what can a neutrino Orr antineutrino change into
A corresponding charged lepton
e.g
Ve+n->p+E-
why is Ve+n->AVe+E+
not permitted even though its charge is conserved
Its lepton number isnt conserved
What happens in muon decay
The muon changes into a muon neutrino and an electron is created to conserve charge and a corresponding antineutrino is created to conserve the lepton number
What can a muon only change into
A muon neutrino
It can’t change into a muon antineutrino
The lepton number is …
+1 for a lepton
-1 for an anti lepton
0 for a non lepton
what are scientists trying to work out about the neutrino
its exact rest mass
what will happen if scientists can figure out the exact rest mass of the neutrino
can work out how much neutrinos contribute to the mass pf the universe and wether the universe will continue to expand forever (big yawn) or stop expanding and contract (Big Crunch)
