Proton decay [was: Are atoms 'perpetual machines'?]

ice109
Messages
1,707
Reaction score
6
don't all atoms decay? don't even protons decay?
 
Physics news on Phys.org


To my knowledge, a proton decay has never been observed, and the two theories are either "They do not decay" or "They decay, but have a very long half-life".

V
 


If protons are to decay, what do they decay to?
 


One theory suggests that a proton, if it decays at all, decays into a positron and a neutral pion that itself then decays into 2 gamma ray photons. And apparently, other decay scenarios are possible. I read that in WiKi, but not sure how accurate I translated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_decay
 

Thread 'Toponium Discovered'

Toponium is a hadron which is the bound state of a valance top quark and a valance antitop quark. Oversimplified presentations often state that top quarks don't form hadrons, because they decay to bottom quarks extremely rapidly after they are created, leaving no time to form a hadron. And, the vast majority of the time, this is true. But, the lifetime of a top quark is only an average lifetime. Sometimes it decays faster and sometimes it decays slower. In the highly improbable case that...
View full post »

Thread 'Dirac-Delta from Normalization of Continuous Eigenfunctions'

I'm following this paper by Kitaev on SL(2,R) representations and I'm having a problem in the normalization of the continuous eigenfunctions (eqs. (67)-(70)), which satisfy \langle f_s | f_{s'} \rangle = \int_{0}^{1} \frac{2}{(1-u)^2} f_s(u)^* f_{s'}(u) \, du. \tag{67} The singular contribution of the integral arises at the endpoint u=1 of the integral, and in the limit u \to 1, the function f_s(u) takes on the form f_s(u) \approx a_s (1-u)^{1/2 + i s} + a_s^* (1-u)^{1/2 - i s}. \tag{70}...
View full post »

Similar threads

I Can proton/neutron decay be avoided in some conditions?
Replies
3
Views
3K
I Decay constant of Different Elements and Isotopes?
Replies
3
Views
2K
I From what locations do radiated electrons start their movement in Beta decay?
Replies
21
Views
2K
I Observing Proton Decay & Antineutrinos
Replies
8
Views
2K
B Al-20, a new three-proton-emitting isotope
Replies
10
Views
259
I Question on Baryons and Specific Decays
Replies
9
Views
2K
B Beta Plus Decay: What's Left for the Electron?
Replies
8
Views
2K
I Can 41Ca Decay to 40K through Proton Removal in Certain Situations?
Replies
14
Views
2K
B Can a hydrogen atom become a neutron?
Replies
5
Views
3K
I How Does Beta Decay Relate to the Role of W Bosons in Weak Nuclear Force?
Replies
4
Views
4K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top