Energy Source of E Field in Decay of Neutral Pi Mesons?

In summary, the conversation discusses the creation of an E field between particles, specifically neutral pi mesons, as they decay into electron-positron pairs and move in opposite directions. This process takes work and raises the question of where the energy comes from. One suggestion is the photoelectric effect, where the energy comes from the incoming photon that ejects the electron. Another point is that as the particles move apart, their decrease in speed results in a conversion of kinetic energy to potential energy stored in the field.
  • #1
cragar
2,552
3
Suppose I have a large wall of neutral pi mesons, a lot of particles in a plane . And they decay into electron positron pairs and move in opposite directions to conserve momentum.
Now we have created an E field in between the particles going from plus to minus. Now we have a parallel plate capacitor . As the particle move apart we are creating E fields in space were they didn't use to be and this takes work. Where is this energy coming from. Does all this energy just come from the pi meson?
 
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  • #2
Er... I'm not sure why you have to invoke such exotic process. How about electrons emitted from a metallic surface in a photoelectric effect? When it is emitted, there's an image charge on the surface that has an opposite charge to the electron. Same thing.

Zz.
 
  • #3
Thanks for your response, So all the energy comes from the incoming photon that ejected the electron .
 
  • #4
cragar said:
Where is this energy coming from.

As the electrons and positrons move apart, their speed decreases because they are attracting each other. They lose kinetic energy, which gets converted to potential energy stored in the field.
 
  • #5
thanks Jtbell, that makes sense.
 

Related to Energy Source of E Field in Decay of Neutral Pi Mesons?

1. What is an electric field?

An electric field is a force field that surrounds electrically charged particles and exerts a force on other charged particles within its range. It is represented by vectors, with the direction of the vector indicating the direction of the force and the magnitude representing the strength of the force.

2. How is an electric field created?

An electric field is created by the presence of electrically charged particles. In other words, when positively or negatively charged particles are present, they create an electric field around them.

3. What are the units of measurement for electric field?

The units of measurement for electric field are newtons per coulomb (N/C) in the SI system and volts per meter (V/m) in the CGS system.

4. How is the strength of an electric field determined?

The strength of an electric field is determined by the amount and distribution of electric charge. The strength also depends on the distance from the charged particles, with the field becoming weaker as the distance increases.

5. What is the relationship between electric field and electric potential?

Electric potential is a measure of the potential energy per unit charge at a certain point in an electric field. The electric potential at a point is directly proportional to the electric field strength at that point. In other words, the stronger the electric field, the higher the electric potential.

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