Understanding Particle Mass Shells

  • Thread starter Thread starter captain
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Mass Particle
captain
Messages
163
Reaction score
0
what does it mean when somebody says that a particle is on its mass shell? I have somewhat but not full understanding of that.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
captain said:
what does it mean when somebody says that a particle is on its mass shell? I have somewhat but not full understanding of that.

Ahoy there captain! :smile:

All real particles are on the mass shell.

Only pretend particles can be off-mass-shell … you use them in Feynman-type calculations, and then forget about them. :wink:
 
A particle is on mass shell if E^2 = (pc)^2 + (mc^2)^2 holds. Virtual particles are off mass shell.
 

Thread 'Schrödinger equation and classical wave equation'

Not an expert in QM. AFAIK, Schrödinger's equation is quite different from the classical wave equation. The former is an equation for the dynamics of the state of a (quantum?) system, the latter is an equation for the dynamics of a (classical) degree of freedom. As a matter of fact, Schrödinger's equation is first order in time derivatives, while the classical wave equation is second order. But, AFAIK, Schrödinger's equation is a wave equation; only its interpretation makes it non-classical...
View full post »

Thread 'Quantum Entanglement is a Kinematic Fact, not a Dynamical Effect'

Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. Towards the end of the first lecture for the Qiskit Global Summer School 2025, Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Olivia Lanes (Global Lead, Content and Education IBM) stated... Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/quantum-entanglement-is-a-kinematic-fact-not-a-dynamical-effect/ by @RUTA
View full post »

Thread 'Is Maxwell's electromagnetism an effective (field) theory?'

Is it possible, and fruitful, to use certain conceptual and technical tools from effective field theory (coarse-graining/integrating-out, power-counting, matching, RG) to think about the relationship between the fundamental (quantum) and the emergent (classical), both to account for the quasi-autonomy of the classical level and to quantify residual quantum corrections? By “emergent,” I mean the following: after integrating out fast/irrelevant quantum degrees of freedom (high-energy modes...
View full post »

Similar threads

I The claymath 4-d QFT problem and virtual particles (as an example)
Replies
36
Views
3K
I Are All Photons Truly Virtual?
Replies
6
Views
2K
I 'Off-shell' particle in an external field....
Replies
3
Views
2K
I On-shell virtual particles and 'physical' Hilbert spaces....
Replies
7
Views
2K
I Does a particle's mass fluctuate.
Replies
10
Views
1K
B The nature of anti-particles and anti-matter (a dilettante asks)
Replies
8
Views
1K
I What makes up the bare mass of elementary particles?
Replies
3
Views
1K
A Coleman: "Spin is a concept that applies only to particles with mass"
Replies
11
Views
1K
B Does Particle System Collapse Depend on Mass, Momentum, or Complexity?
Replies
5
Views
1K
B What particle represents the mass-energy conversion in a proton?
Replies
4
Views
1K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top