Can destroy a real photon(mass on-shell) to create a pair massive particles?

In summary, a single photon cannot be destroyed to create a pair of massive particle-antiparticle. It can only create other photons or massless particles, and no more than three of them. Conservation of energy-momentum and symmetry are also not violated. The resulting massless particles must all be collinear in the same direction as the original photon.
  • #1
ndung200790
519
0
Please teach me this:
Can a real photon be destroyed to create a pair of massive particle-antiparticle?.It seem that if it can be,the conservation of energy-momentum is violalated?
Thank you very much in advanced.
 
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  • #2
ndung200790 said:
Please teach me this:
Can a real photon be destroyed to create a pair of massive particle-antiparticle?.It seem that if it can be,the conservation of energy-momentum is violalated?
Thank you very much in advanced.

A single photon cannot make any pair of particle and antiparticle - you need atleast one more photon [tex]\gamma \gamma \rightarrow e^{+}e^{-}[/tex] as an example . And maybe even a mediator, like an electron.
 
  • #3
At sufficiently high energies (> 1.022 Mev) a single photon can interact with a nucleus (which is needed for momentum conservation) to form an electron-positron pair.
 
  • #4
ndung200790 said:
Please teach me this:
Can a real photon be destroyed to create a pair of massive particle-antiparticle?.It seem that if it can be,the conservation of energy-momentum is violalated?
Thank you very much in advanced.

I never thought of that before.

Anyways, it seems one photon can only create other photons (or other massless particles), and no more than 3 of them.

So I think the following are possible:

[tex]\gamma \rightarrow \gamma+\gamma [/tex]
[tex]\gamma \rightarrow \gamma+\gamma+\gamma [/tex]

Actually, I don't think any of this is possible. You get the above only when you consider that the initial and final state have the same spacetime distance. When you also consider conservation of momentum, then you can't have anything.

So one photon cannot create anything.
 
Last edited:
  • #5
RedX said:
I never thought of that before.

Anyways, it seems one photon can only create other photons (or other massless particles), and no more than 3 of them.

So I think the following are possible:

[tex]\gamma \rightarrow \gamma+\gamma [/tex]
[tex]\gamma \rightarrow \gamma+\gamma+\gamma [/tex]

Actually, I don't think any of this is possible. You get the above only when you consider that the initial and final state have the same spacetime distance. When you also consider conservation of momentum, then you can't have anything.

So one photon cannot create anything.

Yes. It does not conserve symmetry.
 
  • #6
QuantumClue said:
Yes. It does not conserve symmetry.

Which symmetry?
 
  • #7
RedX said:
I never thought of that before.

Anyways, it seems one photon can only create other photons (or other massless particles), and no more than 3 of them.

So I think the following are possible:

[tex]\gamma \rightarrow \gamma+\gamma [/tex]
[tex]\gamma \rightarrow \gamma+\gamma+\gamma [/tex]

Actually, I don't think any of this is possible. You get the above only when you consider that the initial and final state have the same spacetime distance. When you also consider conservation of momentum, then you can't have anything.

So one photon cannot create anything.

oops, I confused sines with cosines (that always trips me up).

So the real result should be that one photon can only turn into massless particles, and these massless particles must all be collinear in the same direction as the original photon.

So a photon can turn into any number of massless particles/antiparticles, but they all have to be colinear.
 

1. Can a real photon destroy itself to create a pair of massive particles?

No, a real photon cannot destroy itself to create a pair of massive particles. A photon is a massless particle and cannot be destroyed or split into other particles.

2. What is the process by which a real photon can create a pair of massive particles?

The process is called pair production, where a high-energy photon interacts with a nucleus or an electron, resulting in the creation of a pair of particles with mass. This process is possible because the energy of the photon is converted into the mass of the particles.

3. What determines the type of particles created in pair production?

The type of particles created in pair production is determined by the amount of energy of the photon. The energy must be equal to or greater than the total mass of the particles being created.

4. Is the creation of a pair of massive particles from a real photon a violation of the law of conservation of energy?

No, the creation of a pair of massive particles from a real photon does not violate the law of conservation of energy. This is because the energy of the photon is converted into the mass of the particles, and the total energy remains the same.

5. Can pair production occur in a vacuum?

Yes, pair production can occur in a vacuum. In quantum field theory, a vacuum is not empty but filled with virtual particles that constantly appear and disappear. A high-energy photon can interact with these virtual particles to create a pair of massive particles.

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