Proton-Antiproton colliding to produce top-antitop pair

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In summary, the question asks for the minimum required momenta of the proton and antiproton in order for a pair of top-antitop quarks to be created in a collision. Using the conservation of energy and momentum equations, it is determined that the minimum momenta for the proton and antiproton are 173 GeV/c^2 and 59.9 TeV/c^2 respectively. This assumes that the quarks are created with zero momenta.
  • #1
Je m'appelle
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Homework Statement



Suppose a proton and an antiproton collide producing a pair of top-antitop quarks.

What would be the minimum required momenta of both proton and antiproton in order for this pair creation to occur?

[tex]p + \bar{p} \rightarrow t + \bar{t} [/tex]

(Answer: [itex]173 \frac{GeV}{c^2}, 59.9 \frac{TeV}{c^2} [/itex])

Homework Equations



I. Energy-momentum relation
[tex]E^2 = (pc)^2 + (m_0 c^2)^2 [/tex]

II. Relativistic kinetic energy equation
[tex]E_{ki} = m_i c^2 \left(\frac{1}{\sqrt{1-\frac{v_i^2}{c^2}}} -1 \right) [/tex]

III. Relativistic momentum equation
[tex]p_i = \frac{m_i v_i}{\sqrt{1-\frac{v_i^2}{c^2}}} [/tex]

IV. Rest masses of proton and top quark

[tex] m_p = 938 \frac{MeV}{c^2}, m_t = 173 \frac{GeV}{c^2}[/tex]

The Attempt at a Solution



1. Conservation of energy:
[tex]E_i = E_f \Rightarrow E_{p} + E_{\bar{p}} = E_{t} + E_{\bar{t}} [/tex]

[tex]\sqrt{ (p_{p}c)^2 + (m_p c^2)^2 } + \sqrt{ (p_{\bar{p}}c)^2 + (m_{\bar{p}} c^2)^2 } = \sqrt{ (p_{t}c)^2 + (m_t c^2)^2 } + \sqrt{ (p_{\bar{t}}c)^2 + (m_{\bar{t}} c^2)^2 } [/tex]

2. Conservation of momentum:
[tex]p_i = p_f \Rightarrow p_{p} + p_{\bar{p}} = p_{t} + p_{\bar{t}} [/tex]

I'm really stuck here because I feel like there isn't enough information and I'm missing something, one thing that occurred to me is that since I'm trying to find the minimum momenta of the proton-antiproton, I could argue that the momenta of the quarks are zero, i.e. they're created at rest, but then on a second thought, I'm not certain about this because it would provide an equal momentum in magnitude for the proton-antiproton, which isn't the case.

Can anyone point me in the right direction here, please?
 
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  • #2
Hello MyNameIs,

Your book answer surprises me: why does it consist of two numbers ?

Are there two questions, perhaps? Like: one in a colliding beam machine and one in a stationary target machine (in which case one of the momenta is 0) ?
 

1. What is a proton-antiproton collision?

A proton-antiproton collision is a type of high-energy particle collision that occurs when a proton and an antiproton, which are oppositely charged particles, are accelerated and brought into contact with each other. This collision results in the annihilation of both particles and the production of new particles.

2. How are protons and antiprotons accelerated?

Protons and antiprotons are accelerated using large particle accelerators, such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. These accelerators use powerful magnets to accelerate the particles to nearly the speed of light and then direct them towards each other.

3. Why do scientists collide protons and antiprotons?

Scientists collide protons and antiprotons to study the fundamental building blocks of matter and the forces that govern them. These collisions can produce new particles that are not found in nature and provide insights into the structure of the universe.

4. What is a top-antitop pair?

A top-antitop pair is a pair of particles called a top quark and an antitop quark. These particles are the heaviest known elementary particles and are the result of a proton-antiproton collision. They quickly decay into other particles, making them difficult to detect.

5. What is the significance of producing top-antitop pairs?

Producing top-antitop pairs allows scientists to study the properties of these rare particles and test the predictions of the Standard Model of particle physics. This can provide insights into the nature of matter and the fundamental forces of the universe.

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