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malawi_glenn
May3-08, 06:37 AM
Hi!

I was wondering how W+/- pairs can be created in an electron/positron collider.

Does the e+e- form a Z^0 which decays to W^- W^+ ?

http://www.particle.kth.se/zlab/project/Elep.gif

I have found this picture, but there is no info about the mediating particle (in the small feynman diagram to the right) and I have looked in my two books about particle physics, and on wikipedia. and have not found any information at all

The books I have considered are "particle physics" by Martin & Shaw, and "Particles and nuclei" by Povh et. al.

EDIT: Is it also possible for the W^- W^+ to be created from an intermediate photon?

Thank you for your time and help :-)

Vanadium 50
May3-08, 06:58 AM
There are the two cases you mention, with an s-channel photon or Z. There's also the case where you have a t-channel neutrino and W's radiating off each vertex.

malawi_glenn
May3-08, 07:07 AM
ah, ok I see. So a neutrino is the "mediator" in the t-channel?