Create Electron from Proton Annihilation?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the possibility of creating an electron from proton-antiproton annihilation, exploring concepts of particle production, specifically in the context of pair production and antiproton decay. Participants examine the implications of existing literature and experimental findings related to these processes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant references the APEX collaboration at Fermilab, questioning whether an antiproton can decay into an electron and gamma ray, and if this process takes a significant amount of time (300,000 years) as suggested by the literature.
  • Another participant challenges the notion of creating a "new" electron from proton-antiproton annihilation, implying that standard pair production is a well-established process for producing electron-positron pairs from gamma rays.
  • A later reply suggests that the 300,000-year figure may represent a lower limit on the antiproton lifetime, indicating that no decay was observed during the experiment, but this does not confirm the actual lifetime of the antiproton.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the mechanisms of electron production from proton-antiproton annihilation and the implications of antiproton decay timescales. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives on the topic.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights uncertainties regarding the lifetime of antiprotons and the conditions under which electron production occurs, with references to specific experimental contexts and theoretical frameworks.

jaketodd
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Search for the text "APEX collaboration at Fermilab" on the following page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiproton

It seems to indicate after that text that an antiproton can turn into an electron and gamma ray. However, before that it says "300,000 yr." So is it saying that it will take that long for that to happen? Is there a faster way to create a "new" electron?

Hmm, it says "...antiproton-proton annihilation into electron-positron pair..." on the following page:
http://thesis.library.caltech.edu/3577/

Is that true; can you create a new electron from the annihilation of a proton?

Thanks,

Jake
 
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What's wrong with the standard old, true-and-tested pair production?

Zz.
 
ZapperZ said:
What's wrong with the standard old, true-and-tested pair production?

Zz.

Are you referring to proton-antiproton annihilation to produce a "new" electron?

Thanks,

Jake
 
jaketodd said:
Are you referring to proton-antiproton annihilation to produce a "new" electron?

Thanks,

Jake

Pair production - production of electron-positron pairs out of gamma rays.

Zz.
 
jaketodd said:
Search for the text "APEX collaboration at Fermilab" on the following page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiproton

It seems to indicate after that text that an antiproton can turn into an electron and gamma ray. However, before that it says "300,000 yr." So is it saying that it will take that long for that to happen?

In the context of the preceding paragraph, I'm pretty sure that this is a lower limit on the antiproton lifetime. That is, the experiment didn't actually see any antiprotons decay; but based on the number of antiprotons involved and the time duration of the experiment, if the antiproton has a lifetime greater than 300,000 yr they wouldn't have been able to detect any antiprotons decaying anyway.
 

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