Recent content by bkfizz02

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    What is the significance of the commutator in quantum mechanics?

    I think this line is really the key alexepascual. reilly has an excellent example of non-commutation of rotations and then references the position (x) and momentum (d/dx) operators in one dimension (to whithin factors). I think that while your desire to really understand why some...
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    Neutrino Rest Mass: From 0 to Unknown

    Kurious: The matix that leads to the idea of oscillations is the full Hamiltonian. When we talk about different flavors of leptons (electron, mu, tau), we are implicitly talking about the eigenstates of the weak hamiltonian. If you consider the full Hamiltonian and the idea that there at...
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    Quantum numbers of fundamental particles?

    This is similar to a question that my journal club likes to talk about. (We specifically have discussed what Isospin IS). Anyways, color charge in strong interactions is similar to conventional charge in E&M. In E&M, charge has it's own unit, coulomb. Coupling constants relate how *strong*...
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    Is the Proton's Half Life Really 10 to the Power of 32 Years?

    The original question was about the stability of the proton. I agree that the proton does not decay, but I do not believe that we can "prove" this. One could imagine a scenario the the original post presented - proton --> positron + photon. Certainly this is allowed by energy considerations...
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    Isospin of Photon: How Can I3 Values be Determined?

    xeguy: Thanks, I guess I should have been more specific. I was curious what the specfic I3 value(s) is for the photon if it has I=1 because there are other exchange bosons that probably help span the spin 1 isospin space. arivero: Ok, this makes sense. I think I have heard it postulated...
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    Isospin of Photon: How Can I3 Values be Determined?

    I'm curious about the isospin of a photon. I have been told it is a linear combination of I=1 and I=0. If I=0, then I3 must be 0, but if I=1, what values of I3 are allowed? I don't really have a good idea of how to think about the isospin of this boson because I can't break it down into...
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