Particle Physics- Unit 1 Flashcards
What is specific charge?
Total charge÷Total mass
Isotope definition
An atom with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons
Specific charge units
Ckg^-1
Why must teams of scientists collaborate for advances to be made?
Results of experiments must be peer reviewed before they’re confirmed
Particle accelerators are expensive so collaboration helps spread the cost
Many skills and disciplines required
4 fundamental forces
Gravity
Electromagnetic
Strong nuclear
Weak nuclear
What does the strong nuclear force do?
Hold the nucleus of atoms together because gravity is too weak at this scale.
Is also responsible for decay/creation of particles
What does the weak nuclear force do?
Responsible for the decay/creation of atoms
What does the electromagnetic force do?
All objects with charge are repelled or attracted to eachother
What does gravity do?
All objects with mass are attracted to eachother
What is 1 femtometer in meters
1x10^-15
What happens to the SNF is nucleons are 0-0.5 fm apart
It is repulsive
What happens to the SNF if nucleons are 0.5-3 fm apart
It is attractive
What happens to the SNF beyond 3 fm?
No effect
When does beta minus decay occur?
When a nucleus is neutron rich(has too many neutrons)
When does alpha decay occur?
Unstable nucleus
-Too much mass
-Too much energy
-Imbalance of protons/neutrons
What is produced in beta minus decay?
Anti neutrino
What is the energy of a photon directly proportional to?
It’s frequency
What property is the same in a particle and it’s corresponding antiparticle?
Mass
What happens when matter and antimatter meet?
They annihilate
What energy is released in annihilation?
The rest energy(energy stored in the mass of the matter/antimatter)
How many joules in one electronvolt
1mev=1.6x10^-19 J
Mega prefix
10^6
What is pair production
A high energy photon converts it’s energy into a particle and corresponding antiparticle pair
What is needed for a photon to produce a particle and an antiparticle?
It’s energy at a minimum must equal the rest energies of the 2 particles produced
The more energetic the photon:
-Heavier particles produced
-Particles with extra kinetic energy
-Lots of smaller particles
How are the photons emitted after annihilation?
They are emitted in opposite directions to conserve momentum
What’s the difference between baryons and mesons?
Baryons are made of 3 quarks
Mesons are made of a quark and an antiquark