Deep Inelastic Scattering, peak of cross section, width?

In summary, the conversation is about deep inelastic scattering of a low-energy inelastic electron from a stationary proton target. The question involves calculating the mass and width of the baryon from a given cross section and scattering angle. One suggestion for finding the width is to treat the problem classically and use the electron's perihelion distance as the baryon's radius. However, this method has not been covered in the course. Another approach is to use an uncertainty relation between the baryon's mass and lifetime, as stated in the textbook.
  • #1
binbagsss
1,257
11
I'm looking at deep inelastic scattering of a low-energy
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inelastic electron scattering from a stationary proton target
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. I am given ##E## and ## \theta ## where ##\theta ## is the scaterring angle.
##E=4.879 GeV , \theta=10^{0} ##

I am given a figure of cross section ##\frac{d^{2}\sigma}{d\Omega dE'} ##

The question says the peak at ##E'=4.14GeV## is due to the production of the ##\Delta^{+}## resonance. Calculate the mass and width of the baryon?

Solution:

Mass: to get the mass we use the invariant mass of the hadronic system, ##W##, where ##W=W(E')## has already been attained in another part of the question, so this is fine , I just plug in.

Width: I'm really stuck on this one, the textbook I'm using doesn't give any formula . It just says ##W=1.18Gev## therefore the width is ## 110MeV ##

I have no idea what to do. All I can think of is the uncertainty principle, but I'm a bit confused using this in natural units. Everything is measured in energy
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, my textbook related ##W## to the lifetime , so surely ##W## can't be relateed to some other quantity too?

I know that ##p=E'##, ##p## the momentum of the scattered electron, as the question says electron mass can be neglected.

I'm new to this topic and struggling , your assistance is greatly appreciated !
 
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  • #2
Hmm. You could treat the problem classically. There is quite a bit of material out there on Rutherford scattering by charged particles, the Symon textbook comes to mind. The electron's perihelion distance (if you consider it as an orbit with the target as a foci) should be the baryon's radius, which you could double to find the width.

This is only a suggestion, there may be a more direct approach, but since you are given the scattering angle and energy, orbits were the first thing that came to mind when I read this.

Good luck!
 
  • #3
fhc6791 said:
Hmm. You could treat the problem classically. There is quite a bit of material out there on Rutherford scattering by charged particles, the Symon textbook comes to mind. The electron's perihelion distance (if you consider it as an orbit with the target as a foci) should be the baryon's radius, which you could double to find the width.

This is only a suggestion, there may be a more direct approach, but since you are given the scattering angle and energy, orbits were the first thing that came to mind when I read this.

Good luck!

thanks for your reply. I'm pretty sure the method you refer to has not been covered in our course.
And whilst the textbook uses an uncertainty relation between W and the lifetime, it also has a table stating lifetime and width are related by the uncertainty principle.
 

Related to Deep Inelastic Scattering, peak of cross section, width?

1. What is Deep Inelastic Scattering (DIS)?

Deep Inelastic Scattering is a process in particle physics where high energy particles, such as electrons, are scattered off of a target particle. It is used to study the internal structure of particles and is an important tool for understanding the fundamental building blocks of matter.

2. What is the peak of cross section in DIS?

The peak of cross section in DIS refers to the point where the cross section, which is a measure of the probability of a particle interaction, is at its maximum. This point is important for determining the properties of the target particle, such as its mass and charge.

3. How is the peak of cross section in DIS measured?

The peak of cross section in DIS is determined by analyzing the data from particle collisions and plotting the cross section as a function of the energy of the scattered particles. The point where the cross section is highest is then identified as the peak.

4. What is the width in DIS?

The width in DIS refers to the range of energies over which the cross section is significant. It is a measure of the spread of possible outcomes of the particle interaction and can be used to determine the size and structure of the target particle.

5. How does the width in DIS relate to the uncertainty principle?

The width in DIS is related to the uncertainty principle, which states that there is a limit to how precisely we can measure certain properties of a particle. The width is a reflection of the uncertainty in the energy of the scattered particles, which is related to the uncertainty in the position of the particles according to the uncertainty principle.

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