Are W Bosons Truly Massive Particles or Just an Effect of Energy Equivalence?

In summary, about 40 years ago, it was discovered that free neutrons decay with a half-life of around 14 minutes. About 10 years ago, it was discovered that W bosons are involved in this process and are about 100 times as massive as a proton. The question arises whether W bosons are real or virtual particles in this decay process and it is determined that they can be both, depending on the energy of the decay. The top quark, being more massive, can create a real W boson in the decay process, making its decay faster than other particles. Laymen may have difficulty understanding the distinction between real and virtual particles in popular science articles.
  • #1
OmCheeto
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About 40 years ago, someone told me that free neutrons decay with a half life of around 14 minutes.
About 10 years ago, I discovered that W bosons were involved, and that they are about 100 times as massive as a proton.

Do W bosons really exist as "massive" particles for their very brief lifespan?
Or is their mass merely derived from the energy equivalence equation, and no one really knows?

Thanks!
 
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  • #2
I don't think your two statements are in conflict. We determine the masses of many things - most unstable particles - through relativistic kinematics ("energy equivalence equation" is just a special case), But yes, the W has a rest mass.
 
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  • #3
OmCheeto said:
About 10 years ago, I discovered that W bosons were involved, and that they are about 100 times as massive as a proton.
The "W bosons" in neutron decays are not real particles. They do not need to have the mass of real W bosons.
 
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Also, it's good to know that most weak decays don't have enough energy to create a real (on shell) and massive W bosons, so only virtual (off shell) W bosons are created in the process.
But the top quark is massive enough to create a real W boson in the decay process, which makes its decay a lot faster than other particles.
 
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  • #5
mfb said:
The "W bosons" in neutron decays are not real particles. They do not need to have the mass of real W bosons.

Garlic said:
Also, it's good to know that most weak decays don't have enough energy to create a real (on shell) and massive W bosons, so only virtual (off shell) W bosons are created in the process.
But the top quark is massive enough to create a real W boson in the decay process, which makes its decay a lot faster than other particles.

I think this is what I was really asking; "Is the W- Boson involved in free neutron decay real, or virtual?"
And your's was the answer I was hoping for.
It's sometimes difficult for laymen to determine from pop-sci articles when particles are real, and when they're virtual.

Double thanks!
 
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  • #6
OmCheeto said:
Double thanks!

Double no problem
 
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1. What is a W boson?

A W boson is a type of elementary particle that carries the weak nuclear force. It is one of the fundamental particles that make up the Standard Model of particle physics.

2. What is rest mass?

Rest mass, also known as invariant mass, is the mass of an object when it is not moving. It is a fundamental property of matter and is independent of the object's velocity.

3. Do W bosons have a rest mass?

Yes, W bosons have a rest mass. In fact, they have a relatively large rest mass compared to other elementary particles, with a value of about 80 GeV/c2 (gigaelectronvolts per speed of light squared).

4. How was the rest mass of W bosons determined?

The rest mass of W bosons was determined through experiments conducted at particle accelerators, such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. By analyzing the energy and momentum of particles produced in collisions, scientists can calculate the rest mass of the W boson.

5. Why is the rest mass of W bosons important?

The rest mass of W bosons is important because it is a fundamental property of matter and helps to explain the behavior of particles in the universe. It also plays a crucial role in the Standard Model of particle physics and is necessary for predicting and understanding the interactions between particles.

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