Does Z Boson Decay Respect Parity and Charge Conjugation?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the decay of a Z boson into a fermion-antifermion pair, specifically examining whether this process respects parity and charge conjugation symmetries. The focus includes theoretical implications and transformation properties of the involved states.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests checking the transformation properties of the initial and final states to determine symmetry respect.
  • Another participant notes a term in the polarized amplitude that is proportional to cosine, indicating a potential violation of parity invariance, but expresses uncertainty about demonstrating charge conjugation invariance.
  • A participant questions the implications of exchanging particles with their antiparticles in the context of the Z boson decay.
  • Further clarification is sought regarding the specific cosine term related to the angle between the z-axis and the three-momentum of the fermion in the Z boson's rest frame.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the implications of the cosine term for parity and charge conjugation invariance, and multiple viewpoints regarding the transformation properties and their effects on the decay process are present.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved aspects regarding the specific calculations and assumptions related to the transformation properties of the states involved in the decay process.

andrex904
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Considering a Z boson decay into a fermion-antifermion pair. How can i say if the process respect parity and charge conjugation?Thanks
 
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As usual, check the transformation properties of the initial and the final states.
 
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Orodruin said:
As usual, check the transformation properties of the initial and the final states.
Could yuo be more specific? Because i compute the polarized amplitude and there is a term proportional to cosine (that is clearly not parity invariant), but i don't know how to show that it's not C invariant.
 
What changes if you exchange every particle for its antiparticle in a fermion/antifermion pair, what changes for the Z?

Cosine of what, by the way?
 
mfb said:
What changes if you exchange every particle for its antiparticle in a fermion/antifermion pair, what changes for the Z?

Cosine of what, by the way?

Cosine of the angle between z axis and the 3momentum of fermion in the rest frame of Z.
 

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