Pair Production and Annihilation

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SUMMARY

In pair production, a photon interacts with a nucleus to create an electron-positron pair, requiring the photon’s energy to equal the combined rest mass of both particles. Upon annihilation, the electron and positron produce two photons, each carrying energy equivalent to the rest mass of the particles. However, the original photon typically possesses additional energy, which is converted into kinetic energy of the nucleus involved in the interaction. Consequently, the original photon has a shorter wavelength than the resulting daughter photons.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of photon energy and wavelength relationships
  • Knowledge of particle physics, specifically electron and positron properties
  • Familiarity with the concept of pair production in nuclear interactions
  • Basic principles of photon interactions with matter
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the principles of photon energy and wavelength calculations
  • Explore the mechanics of particle-antiparticle pair production
  • Investigate the role of kinetic energy in nuclear interactions
  • Learn about photon annihilation processes and their implications
USEFUL FOR

Physics students, particle physicists, and anyone interested in the fundamental interactions of photons and matter will benefit from this discussion.

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When a photon, with the help of a nucleus experiences pair production to make a positron and an electron, the energy of the photon will equal the rest mass of both the electron and positron together right?

Then when the electron and positron annihilate, the two photons produces will each have energy equal to the rest mass of a positron/electron.

The new photons will have half the energy of the original photon each.



Is this correct?
 
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The new photons will have half the energy of the original photon each.
Not quite true. The incoming photon will in general have more energy than that required to create the pair. The extra energy ends up as kinetic energy of the pair.
 
Should it be expected that the parent photon will have a smaller wavelength than the two daughter photons?
 
Since wavelength is inversely proportional to energy, the parent photon has less than half the wavelength of the daughters.

Small correction, the extra energy of the photon in pair production goes into kinetic energy of the nucleus.
 

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