Can Neutrons Emit Photons? Understanding the Science Behind It

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter cragar
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Neutrons Photons
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around whether neutrons can emit photons, exploring various scenarios including neutron decay, collisions with anti-neutrons, and the effects of external conditions like heating and magnetic fields. The conversation touches on theoretical and conceptual aspects of particle physics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that free neutrons are unstable and decay into protons, but they do not emit electromagnetic photons during this process.
  • One participant raises the idea of photon emission during the collision of neutrons and anti-neutrons, suggesting that energy is released in such interactions.
  • Another participant questions whether heating neutrons or placing them in an alternating magnetic field could lead to photon emission.
  • There is a discussion about the neutron's magnetic moment and whether it can be excited to emit photons, with some arguing that neutrons have no net charge and thus do not produce electromagnetic waves.
  • Some participants suggest that since neutrons are made of quarks, they might emit photons similarly to protons, though this is presented with uncertainty.
  • A later reply clarifies that while neutrons can interact with electromagnetic fields due to their magnetic moment, they do not emit real photons like gamma radiation.
  • One participant mentions the concept of virtual photons in relation to Feynman diagrams, indicating a complex relationship between neutrons and photon interactions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the conditions under which neutrons might emit photons, with no consensus reached on the matter. Some assert that neutrons cannot emit photons, while others propose scenarios where emission could occur, leading to an unresolved discussion.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in understanding related to the definitions of photon emission, the role of magnetic moments, and the implications of quark interactions within neutrons. The discussion reflects varying interpretations of particle behavior under different conditions.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those studying particle physics, particularly in understanding the properties and interactions of neutrons, as well as the nuances of photon emission in quantum mechanics.

cragar
Messages
2,546
Reaction score
3
This might be a dumb question but can neutrons emit photons.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Hi there,

Don't know if this is what you are looking for but: neutrons (free) are unstable particles. They will decay after a certain time into a proton emitting a beta particle. To my knowledge, there are no electromagnetic photons emitted from this disintegration though.

Cheers
 
what about when a neutron and an anti-neutron collide and then photons are emitted.
And let's say I had a ball oh neutrons and I heated them with a torch or had them in the presence of an alternating magnetic field , what about a neutron star.
 
Last edited:
Hi there,

Oh boy. The collision of matter and anti-matter is not consider photon emission by the particle itself. The particle anhilate and emit energy through this process.

If you want, the disintegration by a beta particle is always accompanied by the emission of a neutrino type particle. This neutrino will carry some of the energy of the disintegration. But then again, the neutrino is not a electromagnetic photon (unless considering the duality principle).

Cheers
 
well if the neutron has a magnetic field , then is it possible to excite this field to emit a photon ?
 
thanks
 
cragar said:
well if the neutron has a magnetic field , then is it possible to excite this field to emit a photon ?

Neutron has no charge, so no mag field.
 
Then how do you explain the neutron magnetic moment . A neutron posses spin and anything with spin has a magnetic moment .
 
  • #10
cragar said:
Then how do you explain the neutron magnetic moment . A neutron posses spin and anything with spin has a magnetic moment .

I did not know that. I thought motion of electric charge produced mag field. Thanks.
 
  • #11
Its ok , I think that neutrons can emit photons because they are made of quarks and like protons that emit light fairly easily . I am not 100% sure.
 
  • #12
To a first (classical) approximation, no; EM waves are produced by oscillating charges and since neutrons possesses no net charge, they do not emit EM waves.

Claude.
 
  • #13
It just seems that if i heat up a nuetron really hot it would emit something ,
so a neutron can have an EM field but not emit photons.
 
  • #14
I was hesitating to jump in because it's a bit a tricky issue. As the neutron has a magnetic moment, it thus can interact through the electromagnetic field, and as such, one should say that it can "emit (virtual) photons" ; that is, you can link a neutron in a Feynman diagram with a photon, although this is somewhat messy as it isn't directly charged.

However, if you mean real photons, such as emissions of gamma radiation, then no. Of course, you can think of the quarks inside the neutron as a bound state, and think of exciting those. But then it is not a neutron anymore ! The neutron is a bound state of down-down-up. There exist other such states, for instance the Delta-0 particle. You could consider it as an "excited" neutron state if you which. See for instance the Wiki article on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isospin

You see the neutron in the left-upper corner of the baryon octet spin-1/2 and the Delta-0 baryon second from the left in the upper row of the baryon decuplet spin-3/2.
 
  • #15
Interesting , thanks for the responses i learned a lot in this thread .
 

Similar threads

High School Formula for neutrinos emitted per second from a Proto Neutron Star
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Undergrad Nucleus energy levels, neutron energy
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
4K
Undergrad Can Neutron-X Fusion Reactions Overcome the Repulsion Problem in Fusion Energy?
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
Undergrad Why Can't We Construct a Particle Consisting Only of Neutrons?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
Undergrad Can proton/neutron decay be avoided in some conditions?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
4K
Undergrad Why Does Neutron Capture Only Emit Gamma Rays and Not Charged Particles?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Undergrad Creating a Neutron Beam: Challenges & Solutions
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
High School What Are the Key Safety Concerns When Building a Fusor for Nuclear Fusion?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
Undergrad Neutron transport equation
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
4K
Undergrad Questions about neutron interactions
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
4K