Entanglement and pair-production and annihilation

In summary, the concept of entanglement in the physics community is still not fully understood and there are multiple interpretations of how it works. However, it is generally believed that an entangled system involves a connection between its components, although the exact mechanism is still unknown. Three specific examples of entanglement were discussed, involving the production of electron-positron pairs and photons, and the resulting spin conservation in these processes. While there are some misconceptions about these examples, the main point is that entanglement is a fascinating and complex phenomenon that is still being studied and understood.
  • #1
HAYAO
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I am confused about entanglement, but I am not a physicist. The concept sounds cool and I want to understand in a way so that it is familiar with what I already know. I want to know if I am interpreting this right:

1) If we have a photon that produces a pair of electron and positron, the electron and the positron is spin entangled after the production. The total spin of the produced pair of particles are the same as the spin of the photon due to spin-conservation.

2) Likewise, if we have a spin-entangled electron and positron with a particular total spin, and is annihilated, it will produce a photon of the same spin.

3) If we have non-entangled electron and positron, then a photon will be produced with a spin of statistical probability depending on the spin of electron and positron before annihilation.

Is any, or all of them wrong?

Also, how are entanglement interpreted in the community of physics? For example, if we have an entangled electron-positron pair, is there some sort of interaction intermediate linking the electron and the positron when one of them is measured for z-projection of the spin so that it automatically determines the z-projection of the spin of the other particle? Or do they have rather agnostic view of how the two particles are entangled ("don't know how but it does" attitude)?
 
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  • #2
HAYAO said:
I am confused about entanglement, but I am not a physicist. The concept sounds cool and I want to understand in a way so that it is familiar with what I already know. I want to know if I am interpreting this right:

1) If we have a photon that produces a pair of electron and positron, the electron and the positron is spin entangled after the production. The total spin of the produced pair of particles are the same as the spin of the photon due to spin-conservation.

2) Likewise, if we have a spin-entangled electron and positron with a particular total spin, and is annihilated, it will produce a photon of the same spin.

3) If we have non-entangled electron and positron, then a photon will be produced with a spin of statistical probability depending on the spin of electron and positron before annihilation.

Is any, or all of them wrong?

Also, how are entanglement interpreted in the community of physics? For example, if we have an entangled electron-positron pair, is there some sort of interaction intermediate linking the electron and the positron when one of them is measured for z-projection of the spin so that it automatically determines the z-projection of the spin of the other particle? Or do they have rather agnostic view of how the two particles are entangled ("don't know how but it does" attitude)?

Note: A single photon will not (on its own) produce an electron-positron pair, and vice versa. 2 in and 2 out conserve.

There are many different views ("interpretations") of entanglement, as no one knows the physical mechanism by which components of an entangled system are connected. Agnostic probably being most common interpretation. :smile:
 
  • #3
DrChinese said:
Note: A single photon will not (on its own) produce an electron-positron pair, and vice versa. 2 in and 2 out conserve.
I assume you are talking about nucleus. Am I right?

There are many different views ("interpretations") of entanglement, as no one knows the physical mechanism by which components of an entangled system are connected. Agnostic probably being most common interpretation. :smile:
Thank you, DrChinese. I got it.
 

1. What is entanglement?

Entanglement is a quantum phenomenon in which two or more particles become connected in such a way that the state of one particle cannot be described independently of the state of the other particle, even when they are separated by a large distance.

2. How does entanglement occur?

Entanglement can occur when two or more particles interact with each other, becoming entangled. This can happen through various processes such as pair production, annihilation, or other interactions.

3. What is pair production?

Pair production is a process in which a high-energy photon (a particle of light) is converted into an electron and a positron (the antimatter counterpart of an electron). This process can occur when a photon interacts with a strong electric field, such as near an atomic nucleus or in the presence of other high-energy particles.

4. What is annihilation?

Annihilation is the process in which a particle and its corresponding antiparticle collide and are converted into energy (usually in the form of photons). This process is the reverse of pair production and can occur when a particle and antiparticle with opposite charges come into contact with each other.

5. How are entanglement, pair production, and annihilation related?

Entanglement, pair production, and annihilation are all quantum phenomena that involve the interactions of particles at the subatomic level. Entanglement can occur through pair production or annihilation, and these processes can also be reversed through annihilation or pair production, respectively. These processes are important for understanding the behavior of particles in the quantum realm and have implications for technologies such as quantum computing and cryptography.

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