Parity as a kinematic property?

In summary, the conversation discusses whether parity can be considered a kinematic property. It is pointed out that parity is not conserved in high energy interactions, unlike mass and spin which are conserved through the total energy and angular momentum. This is because parity is not a universal symmetry of nature. It is also noted that parity is an intrinsic property of each particle and is not related to its motion. Therefore, it is concluded that parity cannot be classified as a kinematic property.
  • #1
metroplex021
151
0
Weird question, but does anyone have any feelings on whether parity can be classified as a kinematic property? It doesn't scale with energy and so in that sense doesn't seem to be classifiable as a dynamic property, nor do objects interact through it; but parity is of course violated by the weak interaction, meaning that -- unlike spin and mass -- it is not conserved unlike the other kinematic quantities. I appreciate that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I'd like to hear your thoughts!
 
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  • #2
First of all, you should probably notice that mass is not conserved in high energy interactions because of the famous [itex]E=mc^2[/itex]. What is conserved it the total energy (including the rest mass). Same thing is valid for the spin, what is conserved is the total angular momentum [itex]J=L+S[/itex].
What what concerns your question I would say that no, parity is not a kinematical property. Parity is an intrinsic property of each particle and it's not related to its status of motion. However, it is not conserved by all interaction because it doesn't come from a universal symmetry of nature. Total energy and total angular momentum are always conserved because they arise from the invariance of our universe under time translations and spatial rotation, which are always symmetries of our world. The is no such universal symmetry for parity.
 
  • #3
violation in the general QM sense is a result of some interacting hamiltonian [itex]H'[/itex] (so that [itex]H_{tot}=H_0+H' [/itex]) which does not commute with the operator of parity:
[itex] [P,H]= [P,H'] \ne 0 [/itex]
I don't understand how then you are trying to categorize it as a kinematic property (or not).
 

1. What is parity as a kinematic property?

Parity is a kinematic property that refers to the symmetry of physical systems under spatial transformations. In simpler terms, it is the concept that a physical system remains unchanged when its spatial coordinates are inverted.

2. How is parity related to other kinematic properties?

Parity is one of the three fundamental kinematic properties, along with time reversal and charge conjugation. Together, these properties help us understand the behavior of physical systems and their interactions.

3. Can parity be violated?

Yes, parity can be violated in certain physical systems. This was demonstrated in the famous "Wu experiment" in 1956, which showed that weak interactions violate parity symmetry. This discovery led to a deeper understanding of the fundamental forces of nature.

4. How is parity used in physics?

Parity is a crucial concept in physics, particularly in quantum mechanics and particle physics. It is often used to analyze the behavior of particles and their interactions, and it helps us predict the outcomes of experiments and understand the fundamental laws of the universe.

5. What are some real-world applications of parity?

While parity has mostly theoretical applications in physics, it does have practical uses in technologies such as nuclear reactors and medical imaging devices. Understanding parity symmetry helps engineers design and optimize these technologies for efficiency and safety.

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