Why in hydrogen fusion are neutrinos ejected?

In summary, the reason why neutrinos are ejected during hydrogen fusion is to preserve lepton number conservation. In fission, the incoming neutron disturbs the nucleus and can cause it to split into two halves and emit some free neutrons. The strong nuclear force, which is strong but short ranged, is responsible for holding nucleons together in the nucleus. However, at hadronic energy scales, it is difficult to speak about quarks and gluons, so mesons and baryons are the dominant particles. Mesons are not considered force carriers, but they can play a role in hadron interactions. They do not decay into gluons.
  • #1
thomas49th
655
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Hi, I was wondering:

why in hydrogen fusion are neutrinos ejected?

why in fission does the neutron actually knock over neutrons out of atoms

the nucleon are held together in the nuceus by nuclear forces which over power electrostatic forces. But what actually generates these forces? Are electrons not in the nuclear because of their size and mass exerts little nuclear force?

Thanks :)
 
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  • #2


i) do preserve lepton number conservation, the neutrino emitted is an electron-neutrino, which carries no electric charge and electron lepton number +1. Emitted is also a positron, which carries electric charge +1 and electron lepton number -1. The protons (hydrogen nucleus) has no lepton number at all.

ii) are you referring to neutron induced fission? I can't even make up a correct sentence out of what you wrote.

http://library.thinkquest.org/17940/texts/fission/fission.html

The nucleus will be split into two halves and some free neutrons, the final result is probabilistic and the result will occur since it can occur (is more energetically favourable)

http://www.knutsford-scibar.co.uk/webimages/fission.jpg

iii) I think you are asking what is the attractive force that helds nucleons together, and that is the strong nuclear force:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_force

http://aether.lbl.gov/elements/stellar/strong/strong.html

the concept is that only protons have EM-force, which is repulsive and infinite range, but quite weak in strength. Both protons and neutrons have attractive force called the nuclear force, which is strong but short ranged - only nearby neighbour nucleons feel that force.

Now look at the image on fission again, the incoming neutron will disturb the mother nucleus and make it elongated. The ratio of neighbours will decrease at the middle where it is thin, thus the electromagnetic force might take over and force the elongated nucleus to split in two + some neutrons. The yeild of daughter nuclei follows a distribution, here are some examples:

http://www.kayelaby.npl.co.uk/atomic_and_nuclear_physics/4_7/4_7_1a.html

also the number of neutrons in the final state also vary, from 0 to quite many, like 6-8. The mean is around 4, depending on what mother nucleus you have and energy of incoming neutron.

electrons will undergo reactions with the protons in the nucleus when they are 'inside' the nucleus, this is called electron capture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_capture
 
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  • #3


Thank you very much.

One query I have at current, according to
http://aether.lbl.gov/elements/stellar/strong/strong.html

mesons are what hold the nucleons together/reason of the strong nuclear force, yet mesons are not force carriers

Isn't this because they decay in glueons which are the force carriers of strong nuclear force? I've been googling and without my luck, which is strange. Do you knwo the full story of mesons to glueons?

Thanks :)
 
  • #4


Why are they NOT force carriers? It is easy to construct a theory of hadron interactions where they are the bosons responsible for interactions (see Chiral Perturbation Theory for instance, and meson exchange potential)

The thing is that at hadronic energy scales, QCD is not asymptotic free, so it is hard/meaningless to speak about quarks and gluons, what exists are hadrons; Mesons and Baryons.

Easy lectures:
http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/hep-ph/pdf/9501/9501357v1.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_forceAdvanced lectures:
http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/hep-ph/pdf/0210/0210398v1.pdf
http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/hep-ph/pdf/9501/9501357v1.pdfIt is a difference between the strong force (quarks and gluons) and the strong nuclear force (hadrons)

Mesons do NOT decay into gluons...

By the way, it is difficult to understand what you are saying sometimes, I guess English is not your native languange?
 

1. Why are neutrinos ejected during hydrogen fusion?

During hydrogen fusion, which occurs in the core of stars, hydrogen atoms are converted into helium atoms. This process releases a tremendous amount of energy in the form of photons, or light particles. However, due to the extreme conditions in the core, some of the hydrogen atoms are fused together without producing photons. Instead, they produce neutrinos, which are fundamental particles that have no electric charge and are able to pass through matter with ease. Thus, they are ejected from the core along with the photons.

2. How are neutrinos produced during hydrogen fusion?

Neutrinos are produced during hydrogen fusion through a process called beta decay. This occurs when one of the hydrogen atoms fuses with another to form helium, and one of the protons in the hydrogen nucleus is converted into a neutron. This process releases a positron (a positively charged particle) and a neutrino. The positron quickly combines with an electron, releasing two photons, while the neutrino is ejected from the core.

3. What is the significance of neutrinos in hydrogen fusion?

Neutrinos play an important role in the process of hydrogen fusion because they carry away a significant amount of energy from the core of the star. This energy is essential for maintaining the balance between the inward gravitational force and the outward pressure caused by the fusion reactions. Without the ejection of neutrinos, the core would become too hot and the fusion reactions would stop, resulting in the collapse of the star.

4. How do scientists detect the neutrinos ejected during hydrogen fusion?

Neutrinos are notoriously difficult to detect because they interact very weakly with matter. However, scientists have developed sophisticated detectors, such as the Super-Kamiokande detector in Japan, that are able to detect neutrinos by observing the faint flashes of light produced when a neutrino interacts with water molecules. This has allowed scientists to confirm the existence of neutrinos and study their properties in detail.

5. Are any other particles ejected during hydrogen fusion besides neutrinos?

Yes, in addition to neutrinos, other particles are also ejected during hydrogen fusion. These include photons, which are responsible for the light and heat emitted by the stars, and various types of atomic nuclei, such as helium and carbon. However, neutrinos are the most abundant particles produced during hydrogen fusion and are also the most difficult to detect, making them a fascinating subject of study for scientists.

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