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dangerbird
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does the sun make them?
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i was just reading this it says the sun makes pions which turn into muons. http://www.hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q3781.htmlVanadium 50 said:There is no such thing as a "tauon". It's just a "tau", or "tau lepton". The sun does not make them, nor does it make muons.
dangerbird said:i was just reading this it says the sun makes pions which turn into muons. http://www.hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q3781.html
When protons and other primary cosmic particles from various stars, including our own sun, interact in the atmosphere, they produce some secondary particles called pi mesons, or pions. The pions have very short lifetimes, on the order of 0.01 microseconds, and decay to produce muons.
dangerbird said:a pion which is smaller than a muon
so the pions come from space and as they enter the atmosphere decay to a muon correct which is lighter... right? and this is the only place where muons come from right? I am just making sure I am learning this right i don't have a bookjtbell said:Are you referring to their masses?
Mass of a muon: 105.6 MeV/c^2
Mass of a (charged) pion: 139.6 MeV/c^2
dangerbird said:so the pions come from space
and this is the only place where muons come from right?
good that clears up the confusing and seemingly conflicting stuff. the protons come from the solar wind and other star's then huh.jtbell said:No, the protons come from space. When they enter the atmosphere, they collide with nuclei of atoms in the atmosphere, producing mostly pions.
The pions decay into muons because muons are lighter, and this particular decay isn't otherwise forbidden or suppressed.
We generally produce muons via pion decay, if that's what you mean. We can do it at accelerator laboratories, too. For example, at Fermilab (which is a proton accelerator), they take a beam of protons and smack it into a metal target, producing lots of different kinds of particles, mostly pions (just like the protons coming from the sun when they collide with nuclei in the atmosphere). The pions decay into muons.
Young stars are mostly hydrogen. Helium (He-4) is a product of fusion. There are conditions when He fusion occurs, and the fusion of heavier elements.dangerbird said:good that clears up the confusing and seemingly conflicting stuff. the protons come from the solar wind and other star's then huh.
Yes, the Sun does produce muons and tauons through a process called cosmic ray showers. Cosmic rays from other sources in the universe interact with the Sun's atmosphere, creating high-energy particles such as muons and tauons.
The production of muons and tauons in the Sun is a result of interactions between cosmic rays and particles in the Sun's atmosphere. These interactions produce secondary particles, including muons and tauons, which are then able to reach the Earth's surface.
Yes, muons and tauons are produced in the same way as other particles by the Sun through interactions with cosmic rays. However, they have a shorter lifespan compared to other particles, which is why they are usually not detected at ground level.
No, muons and tauons are not considered harmful to humans. They are highly energetic particles, but they are present in very low quantities and are easily absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere. In fact, muons are constantly passing through our bodies without causing any harm.
Yes, muons and tauons have practical applications in various fields such as particle physics, geology, and archaeology. They can be used to study the interior of the Earth, detect hidden structures in ancient ruins, and even for medical imaging. However, their short lifespan limits their practical use and requires specialized equipment for detection.