Can Different Particle-Antiparticle Combinations Annihilate?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the possibility of particle-antiparticle annihilation involving combinations that are not direct pairs, such as different quarks and leptons. Participants explore the conditions under which such annihilations might occur, focusing on conservation laws and the role of interactions like the weak force.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether particles can annihilate with antiparticles that are not their corresponding pairs, citing examples like up antiquark with strange quark and electron antineutrino with muon.
  • Another participant asserts that such annihilation usually does not occur due to violations of conserved quantum numbers, emphasizing that classic annihilation requires corresponding particle-antiparticle pairs.
  • A participant mentions that weak interactions can permit certain processes that resemble annihilation, such as the decay of neutral kaons into photons.
  • It is noted that flavor conservation can be violated in the quark sector through interactions with W bosons, allowing specific combinations like u\bar{s} to produce other particles.
  • Some reactions involving different particle-antiparticle combinations leading to photons are acknowledged, but they are stated to require weak interactions alongside electromagnetic interactions.
  • One participant suggests that neglecting neutrino mixing might limit the scenarios discussed.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the feasibility of annihilation between different particle-antiparticle combinations, with no consensus reached on the conditions under which such processes might occur.

Contextual Notes

Discussions include references to conservation laws such as charge and lepton number, and the implications of weak interactions on particle behavior. Some assumptions about interactions and conservation laws remain unresolved.

SMarioKingdom
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I've been searching about particle-antiparticle annihilation and I've been wondering whether it was possible for particle to annihilate with antiparticle that is not its pair? Can annihilation occur with collision of different particle-antiparticle quarks(e.g. up antiquark and strange quark), with different particle-antiparticle leptons(e.g. electron antineutrino and muon) or with particle-antiparticle quark and lepton(e.g. bottom quark and antitau)?
 
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Usually not, as this would violate some conserved quantum numbers (charge, lepton numbers and so on). In addition, the "classic" annihilation via the electromagnetic force requires particle + corresponding antiparticle.

However, the weak interaction can allow some processes which could be considered as annihilation of different particles: Neutral kaons (strange + anti-down quark or anti-strange + down-quark) can decay to two photons, for example.
 


In some cases yes, It depends on wheter the annihilation violates conservation laws.
For example, in the quark sector flavor conservation is violated by intercation with the W boson.

Therefore, for example

u\bar{s}->W^{+}->e^{+}\nu_{e} is possible

In the lepton sector, in the limit of massless neutrinos, flavor is conserved and a muon can't annihilate with a electron neutrino( or anti electron neutrino).

quarks and leptons can't annihilate with each other due to baryon and lepton number conservation. ( which is simply an outcome of other conservation laws (charge, color etc..) doesn't have to be assumed)
 


mfb said:
Usually not, as this would violate some conserved quantum numbers (charge, lepton numbers and so on). In addition, the "classic" annihilation via the electromagnetic force requires particle + corresponding antiparticle.

However, the weak interaction can allow some processes which could be considered as annihilation of different particles: Neutral kaons (strange + anti-down quark or anti-strange + down-quark) can decay to two photons, for example.

So, do you mean, without weak interaction, such annihilation is impossible?
 


Some reactions "particle + different antiparticle -> 2 photons" are possible, but they have to include the weak interaction (together with the electromagnetic interaction).

One up-type quark (up, charm, top) plus a different up-type antiquark can annihilate to 2 photons.
One down-type quark (down, strange, bottom) plus a different down-type antiquark can annihilate to 2 photons.

Hmm.. I think if we neglect neutrino mixing, that was all.
 

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