- #1
Niles
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Homework Statement
I have to protons coliding - they have same magnitude of velocity and momentum and they collide head-on:
p + p -> p + (p + p_) (the "p_" is an anti-proton).
I have to find the minimum combined kinetic energy of the two protons for this process to run.
The Attempt at a Solution
I use P_total = P_1 + P_2 <=>
(all the masses squared ...) * c^2 = (P_1 + P_2)^2.
But this is where I encounter my problem. The 4-vector for e.g. P_1 is [E/c ; gamma*m*v] - I don't know v?
Is there another way of doing this?
- another thing: When I have found the total energy, do I have to subtract it with the rest mass of a proton x 2 (2*m_p*c^2) to find combined kinetic energy ?
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