- #1
Quandry
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a muon has a mass about 207 times that of an electron. When the muon decays it produces an electron and two neutrinos (simplest form). Neutrinos have minimal mass, so what happens to the rest of the mass?
What happens to the mass of a muon when it decays
In summary, a muon with a mass 207 times that of an electron decays into an electron and two neutrinos. Neutrinos have minimal mass, so the remaining mass is converted into energy. There is no evidence of photon emission during this process, but further research may be needed.
- #2
Vanadium 50
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It goes into energy.
- #3
Quandry
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Thanks, I sort of guessed that. But I was really wondering how the transformation took place and what form the energy took.Vanadium 50 said:
I have not found reference to photon emission which I would have expected with deceleration energy loss.
Having lost the energy equivalence of 206 electrons there must be some very substantial result.
- #4
davenn
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Quandry said:
The electron and the 2 neutrinos are the minimum particle emission
Quandry said:
I did find several references to photon emission the other day when looking up this subject
have a deeper google
Dave
What happens to the mass of a muon when it decays?
When a muon decays, it transforms into an electron and two types of neutrinos. This process is known as "lepton decay".
Does the mass of a muon change during the decay process?
The mass of a muon does not change during the decay process. The total mass before and after the decay remains the same, but it is distributed among the resulting particles.
What is the half-life of a muon?
The half-life of a muon is approximately 2.2 microseconds. This means that after 2.2 microseconds, half of the original muons in a sample will have decayed into other particles.
What factors can affect the decay of a muon?
The decay of a muon is primarily affected by its energy and the strength of the weak nuclear force. Higher energy muons may decay more quickly, and a stronger weak nuclear force can increase the probability of decay occurring.
What is the significance of studying muon decay?
Studying muon decay can provide insights into the fundamental forces of nature and the properties of subatomic particles. It also has practical applications in fields such as particle physics, astrophysics, and medical imaging.
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