particle physics Flashcards
what are the 4 fundamental forces?
weak nuclear force strong nuclear force, gravity and electromagnetic force
what is a neutrino
tiny particles released after radiation
what is the benefit of a circular accelerator over a linear one
allows for particles to be indepently accelerated before collision (cumulative acceleration)
what is antimatter
antiparticles that have opposite charge and quantum spin but same mass ass matter counterpart
how was the positron detected
in a CLOUD CHAMBER that detected ionising particles.
anderson saw a trace of something with the same mass as an electron but opposite charge
what is pair production
an antimatter reaction when a particle and its antiparticle are created from the energy of the original photon/electromagnetic radiation
what is the threshold frequency for pair production
1.02 MeV
what is pair annihilation
the collision of a particle and its antiparticle resulting in EM radiation
what energy is the photon produced in pair annihilation
0.51 MeV
what is a quark
an elementary particle that experiences all 4 fundamental forces
why are the charges of quarks fractions
because a particle needs a stable integer charge
what are the 2 major particle groups
leptons and hadrons
what are the 2 types of hadrons
mesons and baryons
what is a lepton
all fundamental particles that dont feel strong nuclear force
what is a meson
feels all 4 forcea and can be > electron to > proton in size
