Pair Production and kinetic energy

In summary: You know the initial and final energy and the initial momentum, just solve for the final momentum as a function of the speed. Then do a Lorentz transform of the final momentum and subtract the initial momentum to get the recoil momentum. Originally posted by Tom Not quite. You forgot the rest mass energy of the original electron. Also, what is "Ee" on the right hand side? I presume that's the rest mass energy of each particle.In summary, the problem involves the collision of a photon with an initially motionless electron, resulting in pair production and the release of three particles with equal linear momentum. The kinetic energy of the final three particles can be found by setting the total energy of the system before and
  • #1
frankR
91
0
Problem:

A photon of energy E strikes an electron at rest and undergoes pair production, producing a positron and another electron.

photon + e- --------> e+ + e- + e-

The two electrons and the positron move off with identical linear momentum in the direction of the initial photon. All the electrons are relativistic.

a) Find the kinetic energy of the final three particles.

b) Find the initial energy of the photon.

Express your answers in terms of the rest mass of the electron mo and the speed of light c.



I set the problem up this way:

For part a)

E is conserved before and after the collision.

Ephoton = 3Ee + 3KEe

hc/&lambda = 3moc2 + 3KEe

I then solved for KEe and found:

KEe = 1/3hc/&lambda - moc2

Is this the correct method to find the kinetic energy of one of the electrons after the collision?


The problem says "state your answer in the rest mass of the electron and the speed of light", however if I don't know the wave length of the photon, how do I eliminate that energy term. Since they say the electrons are moving relativistic, do I just assume their speed is equal to 1/10c and then work backward to find the photons wavelength?

I may be way off, any help is appreciated!



Thanks

Edit: I need to use mc2(&gamma - 1) for KE!

The biggest question I have is linear momentum conserved. I would assume it is, and the problem hints at linear momentum.
 
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  • #2
Originally posted by frankR
Ephoton = 3Ee + 3KEe

Not quite. You forgot the rest mass energy of the original electron. Also, what is "Ee" on the right hand side? I presume that's the rest mass energy of each particle.
 
  • #3
Is this okay?

Ephoton + moc2= 3moc2 + 3Ke

Ephoton = energy of the photon: hc/&lambda
moc2 = rest mass energy of electron
Ke = kinetic energy of the electrons in motion (all three with equal linear momentum and kinetic energy) after the photon collides with the initially motionless electron.
 
  • #4
That's a good start, but you have to take it further. The problem said to express the answer in terms of m0 and c. That means you can't have λ in the answer. So now you need to conserve momentum and get a second equation.

Also, rather than write the total energy of each final particle as m0c2+K, I would write each one as γm0c2. That will make it easier to simultaneously solve the 2 equations.
 
  • #5
Is the algebra soposed to be really messy on this problem.[?]

I just want to make sure I'm not going through all this for nothing.
 
  • #6
Originally posted by frankR
Is the algebra soposed to be really messy on this problem.[?]

There is a messy way, and there is a clean way.

First, the 2 equations.

hc/λ+mc2=3γmc2 (Conservation of Energy)
h/λ=3γmv (Conservation of Momentum)

The clean way is to multiply the second equation by 'c', and move the mc2 to the right side in the first equation. Then, the left hand sides of the two equations are equal, so you can set the right hand sides equal to each other. Solve for v, then get the KE from that. Then use either equation (I'd use the second one because it's shorter) to find the initial energy of the photon.
 
  • #7
Originally posted by Tom
There is a messy way, and there is a clean way.

The clean way is to multiply the second equation by 'c'

I like your way much better.

I ended up with a &gamma2/[(&gamma +1)(&gamma-1)] = 4/9mc2, solving for v would have been fun. I bet I made some mistakes along the way, two pages of algebra and I write small. Plus that I tried to solve for K directly, then subsituted that and tried to go for v. It's ugly.

BTW: I found v to be 2/3c
 
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  • #8
It seems you did make a mistake.

Here are your two equations, after the manipulations I described:

hc/λ=(3γ-1)mc2 (Conservation of Energy)
hc/λ=3γmcv (Conservation of Momentum)

You can straighforwardly solve for v by equating the right hand sides of each equation. For convenience, I would define β=v/c, and I get the following:

(3γ-1)=3γβ

Also note that γ=1/(1-β2)1/2. You should be able to solve for β without much algebra.

BTW, I got β=0.8, so v=0.8c.

Edit: fixed math symbol
 
  • #9
Yeah I found my error. Reworking it right now.

I canceled &gamma, which you can't do.

Since E of initial electron is only mc2
 
  • #10
Are you sure v isn't 8/9c, not .8c.
 
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  • #11
Originally posted by frankR
Are you sure v isn't 8/9c, not .8c.

I got (4/5)c=0.8c.
 
  • #12
I get the K of electron after collision:

2/3mc^2

and for initial photon energy of:

4mc^2


If I didn't get those right, I'm quiting for the day.
 
  • #13
Those are correct.
 
  • #14
The easiest way to solve this one

is backwards. Start in the rest frame of the two electrons and positron, an electron and positron anihilate and the remaining electron absorbs the recoil momentum. Then do a Lorentz transform of the initial and final states.
 

1. What is pair production?

Pair production is a phenomenon in particle physics where a photon interacts with a strong electric field and produces an electron-positron pair. This process can also occur in reverse, where an electron-positron pair annihilates and produces a photon.

2. How does pair production relate to kinetic energy?

In pair production, the energy of the photon is converted into the mass of the electron and positron pair. This means that the kinetic energy of the particles is equal to the energy of the original photon minus the rest mass energy of the particles.

3. What is the role of kinetic energy in particle collisions?

Kinetic energy plays a crucial role in particle collisions as it determines the speed and momentum of the particles involved. The amount of kinetic energy transferred during a collision can also determine the types of particles produced, such as in pair production.

4. How is the kinetic energy of particles measured in particle accelerators?

In particle accelerators, the kinetic energy of particles is measured using detectors that can track the trajectory and energy of the particles. This energy is then calculated using equations that relate the velocity and mass of the particles.

5. Can the kinetic energy of particles be converted into other forms of energy?

Yes, the kinetic energy of particles can be converted into other forms of energy, such as potential energy or thermal energy. This conversion can occur through interactions with other particles or through the release of energy during particle decay.

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