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ScienceNerd36
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Do Neutrons and anti-Neutrons annihilate? I can't imagine any reason why they would, I just thought I'd check.
jtbell said:Why do you think they wouldn't annihilate?
ScienceNerd36 said:I figured particles only annihilated anti-particles becuase the electric attraction caused them to collide
I agree. As soon as the anti-neutron annihilates, there will be "pionization", with an average of ~ 7 pions (as I recall) in the pion cloud for antiproton annihilation. There will not be two back-to-back 939 MeV gammas (maybe rarely), like in positron annihilation.Bob_for_short said:I do not think so. These virtual transitions are due to the weak interaction. I think some strong-interaction transformations will dominate - the reaction products will be different (mesons?).
An anti-neutron and a proton would annihilate to pions via the strong interaction. You don't need a neutron.Bob S said:If a thermalized anti-neutron were in a tank of liquid hydrogen, would it annihilate with a proton?
Neutron anti-neutron annihilation is a process in which a neutron particle and its antiparticle, the anti-neutron, collide and are converted into other particles, typically protons and anti-protons.
Neutron anti-neutron annihilation is significant because it provides a way to study the fundamental properties of subatomic particles and the forces that govern them. It also helps us better understand the behavior of matter and antimatter.
Neutron anti-neutron annihilation is unique because it involves the annihilation of two particles with equal mass and opposite charge. This results in the conversion of mass into energy, following Einstein's famous equation E=mc^2. Other types of collisions may involve particles with different masses and charges.
Yes, neutron anti-neutron annihilation can occur naturally in high-energy cosmic ray collisions. However, it is more commonly studied in laboratory settings using accelerators to create the necessary high energies.
Neutron anti-neutron annihilation has practical applications in medical imaging and cancer treatment. The annihilation process produces gamma rays, which can be used in positron emission tomography (PET) scans to create images of the body's internal structures. It can also be used in targeted radiation therapy for cancer treatment.