- #1
futebol2014
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Can antiparticlees be seen or can they only be detected?
Can Antiparticles be Visualized in Particle Detectors?
- Context: Undergrad
- Thread starter futebol2014
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Discussion Overview
The discussion centers on the visualization and detection of antiparticles in particle detectors, exploring the differences between seeing and detecting these particles, as well as historical observations of antiparticles in experimental settings.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Technical explanation
- Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- Some participants propose that antiparticles cannot be "seen" in the literal sense but can be detected through various methods, similar to how electrons are detected.
- One participant argues that while antiparticles interact with photons and can form baryons and atoms, the claim that they cannot be seen because they are smaller than the wavelength of visible light is incorrect.
- Another participant notes that electrons can emit light and be observed under certain conditions, suggesting that the same could apply to antiparticles.
- A historical perspective is provided, detailing the discovery of the positron through cloud chamber tracks, which behave like electron tracks but curve in the opposite direction in a magnetic field.
- Examples of electron-positron pairs produced by photons in bubble chambers are mentioned, highlighting the distinctive patterns formed as they lose energy and momentum.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express differing views on the nature of visibility versus detection of antiparticles, with no consensus reached on the implications of these differences.
Contextual Notes
Some statements rely on assumptions about visibility and detection methods, and there are unresolved nuances regarding the interpretation of particle interactions and the limitations of current detection technologies.
- #2
G01
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We won't be able to "see" antiparticles in the literal sense, but we can detect them.
This statement applies to normal matter as well.
We can't really "see" electrons in the sense that we see them with our eyes by detecting light bouncing off of them. That can't happen, since electrons are much smaller than the wavelengths of visible light.
On the other hand we can "detect" them by seeing light they give off when they hit a phosphorescent screen, etc.
The same will go for all particles smaller than the wavelength of visible light. We won't be able to see them in the literal sense, but we have different ways of detecting them (cloud chambers. bubble chambers, etc.)
This statement applies to normal matter as well.
We can't really "see" electrons in the sense that we see them with our eyes by detecting light bouncing off of them. That can't happen, since electrons are much smaller than the wavelengths of visible light.
On the other hand we can "detect" them by seeing light they give off when they hit a phosphorescent screen, etc.
The same will go for all particles smaller than the wavelength of visible light. We won't be able to see them in the literal sense, but we have different ways of detecting them (cloud chambers. bubble chambers, etc.)
- #3
JustinLevy
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Please don't let "amount we have available on earth" confuse this discussion:
Yes, antipartcles look the same. They interact with photons, and form baryons and atoms just like their counterparts.
Electrons themselves can emit enough light to be seen (if you looked through the window of a synchrotron without protection to see the electrons you'd be blinded).
In the end of course, our eye is just a photon detector. The detector at colliders are just more advanced detectors (which can detect more than photons as well).
Yes, antipartcles look the same. They interact with photons, and form baryons and atoms just like their counterparts.
That is not correct, and would be like saying you can't see atoms because they are smaller than the wavelengths of visible light.G01 said:
Electrons themselves can emit enough light to be seen (if you looked through the window of a synchrotron without protection to see the electrons you'd be blinded).
In the end of course, our eye is just a photon detector. The detector at colliders are just more advanced detectors (which can detect more than photons as well).
- #4
jtbell
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The positron was discovered in 1933 by observing tracks in a cloud chamber that behaved like electron tracks but curved in the opposite direction in a magnetic field.
Similarly, in bubble chambers, antiparticle tracks look just like particle tracks except for having opposite curvature. When I was a grad student, I saw many examples of electron-positron pairs produced by photons. As the electrons and positrons lost energy and momentum via multiple scattering in the chamber fluid, their tracks curled up in a distinctive pattern.
Similarly, in bubble chambers, antiparticle tracks look just like particle tracks except for having opposite curvature. When I was a grad student, I saw many examples of electron-positron pairs produced by photons. As the electrons and positrons lost energy and momentum via multiple scattering in the chamber fluid, their tracks curled up in a distinctive pattern.
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