Boson and electron mass and speed in beta decay

[james mccue]

My first post - Hi everyone.

I've been reading about boson mass and speed for a couple of hours but I can't seem to find answers.

- What is the speed of the W boson during beta decay? If it has a huge mass shouldn't it be a lot slower than leptons?

- I assume the electron and antineutrino are traveling close to the speed of light when emitted?

- the mass of the W boson is around 80GeV, the electron and antineutrino have masses of around 500KeV. Where does all the extra mass/energy go? Do they have a greater speed?

many thanks for reading this.

 

[malawi_glenn]

The W boson in beta decay is a virtual particle, which does not need to fullfil the criteria:

$$E^2 = p^2 + m^2$$

One can think of this as virtual particles VIOLOATE this law, during a small interwall, such small time interval so that $$\Delta E \Delta t > \hbar / 2$$

That is the answer to your question, the W boson in beta decay is a virtual particle.

 

[sir-pinski]

Hello there,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on boson and electron mass and speed in beta decay. To answer your questions:

- The speed of the W boson during beta decay can vary, as it depends on the energy of the decay and the momentum of the particles involved. However, in general, the W boson can travel at speeds close to the speed of light, as it has a high mass and therefore a lot of energy.

- Yes, the electron and antineutrino are both emitted at speeds close to the speed of light. This is because, in beta decay, a high amount of energy is released and converted into the kinetic energy of the particles.

- The extra mass/energy in beta decay does not go anywhere, as mass and energy are interchangeable according to Einstein's famous equation E=mc^2. The energy is simply being converted into the kinetic energy of the particles, allowing them to travel at high speeds.

I hope this helps clarify your questions. Keep exploring and learning about these fascinating topics!