what is produced when positrons collide with electrons and are annihilated? course hero

by Olaf Bradtke 5 min read

When a positron and electron collide What particle is produced? When an electron and positron (antielectron) collide at high energy, they can annihilate to produce charm quarks which then produce D+ and D- mesons. When a positron meets an electron what is emitted?

When an electron and positron (antielectron) collide at high energy, they can annihilate to produce charm quarks which then produce D+ and D- mesons.

Full Answer

What happens when an electron and positron collide?

Electron-positron annihilation occurs when an electron and a positron (the electron's anti-particle) collide. The result of the collision is the conversion of the electron and positron and the creation of gamma ray photons or, less often, other particles. When a positron and electron collide What particle is produced?

What is electron-positron annihilation?

Electron-positron annihilation is the process in which a positron collides with an electron resulting in the annihilation of both particles. Electrons (or β- particles) and positrons (or β+ particles) are of equal mass but opposite charge. Positrons are the antimatter equivalent of an electron, produced from B+ decay

What are positrons and how do they work?

Positrons are the antimatter equivalent of an electron, produced from B+ decay According to the law of conservation of energy, their masses are converted to two annihilation gamma photons with an energy of around 511 keV and moving in two opposite directions. Where e− is the electron, e+ is the positron and γ are gamma rays emitted.

What is the charge of a positron?

Therefore, a positron can simply be considered an electron having positive unit electrical charge. Whenever an electron and a positron come close, they annihilate each other and produce energy in the form of photons.

How do positrons interact with matter?

How are positrons obtained?

How are positrons useful?

How to determine a positron state?

What is the momentum distribution of annihilation radiation?

What state does a positron go in?

What is the antiparticle of an electron?

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How do positrons interact with matter?

Positrons interact with matter through ionization, excitation, emission of bremsstrahlung, and (Čerenkov radiation in the same manner as negative electrons. As the kinetic energy of the positron decreases in the absorber, there is an increase in probability of direct interaction between the positron and an electron (Fig. 6.8d) in which both the positron and electron are annihilated. The energy of the two electron masses is converted into electromagnetic radiation. This process, known as positron annihilation, is a characteristic means of identification of positron emission. Since an electron mass is equivalent to 0.51 MeV, and the kinetic energy of the particles of annihilation is essentially zero, the total energy for the annihilation process is 1.02 MeV. In order to conserve momentum the photons must be emitted with equal energy and in exactly opposite direction in case of only two photons (the dominating case). These photons of 0.51 MeV each are referred to as annihilation radiation. The presence of γ-rays at 0.51 MeV in the electromagnetic spectrum of a radionuclide is strong evidence for the presence of positron emission by that nuclide.

How are positrons obtained?

The positrons emitted directly from 22 Na probe the bulk of a solid, probing the first 200 μm in ZnO with an exponential stopping profile ( Krause-Rehberg and Leipner, 1999 ). Low-energy positrons are needed for studying thin overlayers and near-surface regions. They can be obtained by first thermalizing fast positrons in a moderator, consisting usually of a thin film placed in front of the positron source and made of a material (e.g., W) that has a negative affinity for positrons. Thermalized positrons close to the moderator surface are emitted into the vacuum with energy of the order of 1 eV and a beam is formed using electric and magnetic fields. These positrons can be accelerated to energies of 100 eV to 100 keV (corresponding to mean implantation depths from a few nanometers to more than 10 μm), giving the possibility to control the positron stopping depth in the sample.

How are positrons useful?

Positrons have been shown to be extremely useful in a variety of fields. Most notably, their utility in particle physics research has led to far-reaching discoveries made at particle accelerators, such as the Large Electron-Positron (LEP) collider at CERN. In medical imaging, they are employed in so-called positron emission tomography.

How to determine a positron state?

A positron state can be experimentally characterized by measuring the positron lifetime and the momentum distribution of the annihilation radiation. These quantities can be also calculated once the corresponding electronic structure of the solid system is known. The positron annihilation rate λ, the inverse of the positron lifetime τ, is proportional to the overlap of the electron and positron densities:

What is the momentum distribution of annihilation radiation?

It should be noted that the momentum distribution ρ ( p) of the annihilation radiation is mainly that of the annihilating electrons “seen by the positron,” as the momentum of the thermalized positron is in most defect cases negligible.

What state does a positron go in?

After implantation and rapid (taking a few picoseconds) thermalization, a positron in a semiconductor resides in a Bloch state in a defect-free lattice, a bit like a free carrier. Various positron states yield specific annihilation characteristics that can be experimentally observed in the positron lifetime and Doppler-broadening experiments. The positron wave function can be calculated from a one-particle Schrödinger equation ( Puska and Nieminen, 1994 ). Many practical schemes exist for solving the positron state Ψ+ ( Hakala et al., 1998; Ishibashi; 2004; Makkonen et al., 2006 ).

What is the antiparticle of an electron?

A positron is the antiparticle of an electron. It has all the properties of an electron except for the polarity of the electrical charge, which is positive. Therefore, a positron can simply be considered an electron having positive unit electrical charge. Whenever an electron and a positron come close, they annihilate each other and produce energy in the form of photons.

What happens when a negatively charged electron and a positively charged positron collide?

Electron–positron annihilation occurs when a negatively charged electron and a positively charged positron collide.When a low-energy electron annihilates a low-energy positron. Radiation Dosimetry

What happens when a positron is at rest?

When a positron (antimatter particle) comes to rest, it interacts with an electron, resulting in the annihilation of the both particles and the complete conversion of their rest mass to pure energy in the form of two oppositely directed 0.511 MeV photons.

How do positrons interact with matter?

Positrons interact with matter through ionization, excitation, emission of bremsstrahlung, and (Čerenkov radiation in the same manner as negative electrons. As the kinetic energy of the positron decreases in the absorber, there is an increase in probability of direct interaction between the positron and an electron (Fig. 6.8d) in which both the positron and electron are annihilated. The energy of the two electron masses is converted into electromagnetic radiation. This process, known as positron annihilation, is a characteristic means of identification of positron emission. Since an electron mass is equivalent to 0.51 MeV, and the kinetic energy of the particles of annihilation is essentially zero, the total energy for the annihilation process is 1.02 MeV. In order to conserve momentum the photons must be emitted with equal energy and in exactly opposite direction in case of only two photons (the dominating case). These photons of 0.51 MeV each are referred to as annihilation radiation. The presence of γ-rays at 0.51 MeV in the electromagnetic spectrum of a radionuclide is strong evidence for the presence of positron emission by that nuclide.

How are positrons obtained?

The positrons emitted directly from 22 Na probe the bulk of a solid, probing the first 200 μm in ZnO with an exponential stopping profile ( Krause-Rehberg and Leipner, 1999 ). Low-energy positrons are needed for studying thin overlayers and near-surface regions. They can be obtained by first thermalizing fast positrons in a moderator, consisting usually of a thin film placed in front of the positron source and made of a material (e.g., W) that has a negative affinity for positrons. Thermalized positrons close to the moderator surface are emitted into the vacuum with energy of the order of 1 eV and a beam is formed using electric and magnetic fields. These positrons can be accelerated to energies of 100 eV to 100 keV (corresponding to mean implantation depths from a few nanometers to more than 10 μm), giving the possibility to control the positron stopping depth in the sample.

How are positrons useful?

Positrons have been shown to be extremely useful in a variety of fields. Most notably, their utility in particle physics research has led to far-reaching discoveries made at particle accelerators, such as the Large Electron-Positron (LEP) collider at CERN. In medical imaging, they are employed in so-called positron emission tomography.

How to determine a positron state?

A positron state can be experimentally characterized by measuring the positron lifetime and the momentum distribution of the annihilation radiation. These quantities can be also calculated once the corresponding electronic structure of the solid system is known. The positron annihilation rate λ, the inverse of the positron lifetime τ, is proportional to the overlap of the electron and positron densities:

What is the momentum distribution of annihilation radiation?

It should be noted that the momentum distribution ρ ( p) of the annihilation radiation is mainly that of the annihilating electrons “seen by the positron,” as the momentum of the thermalized positron is in most defect cases negligible.

What state does a positron go in?

After implantation and rapid (taking a few picoseconds) thermalization, a positron in a semiconductor resides in a Bloch state in a defect-free lattice, a bit like a free carrier. Various positron states yield specific annihilation characteristics that can be experimentally observed in the positron lifetime and Doppler-broadening experiments. The positron wave function can be calculated from a one-particle Schrödinger equation ( Puska and Nieminen, 1994 ). Many practical schemes exist for solving the positron state Ψ+ ( Hakala et al., 1998; Ishibashi; 2004; Makkonen et al., 2006 ).

What is the antiparticle of an electron?

A positron is the antiparticle of an electron. It has all the properties of an electron except for the polarity of the electrical charge, which is positive. Therefore, a positron can simply be considered an electron having positive unit electrical charge. Whenever an electron and a positron come close, they annihilate each other and produce energy in the form of photons.